The Punjab government has introduced a biometric verification system for the registration and issuance of birth, death and marriage certificate at union councils.
The system aims to prevent fraudulent registrations, improve transparency and curb the issuance of fake documents, officials say.
Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique inaugurated the new Civil Registration Management System (CRMS) on Friday.
The initiative has been launched in collaboration with the Punjab Local Government Department and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
Under the new system, biometric verification against NADRA’s database will be required before certificates can be issued.
Rafique said the system would be introduced in phases across union councils throughout Punjab.
He said the initiative was intended to make public services more accessible and transparent, allowing citizens to obtain official documents without relying on personal recommendations or paying bribes.
The minister added that the system was part of the provincial government’s “Digital Punjab, Transparent Punjab” initiative and aligned with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision of improving public service delivery.
In a separate development, Rafique chaired a meeting at the Suthra Punjab Authority office to review sanitation operations across several divisions, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan.
Officials from the local government department and the Suthra Punjab Authority joined the meeting via video link.
The minister directed union council secretaries to oversee cleanliness in villages under their jurisdiction and called for closer monitoring of municipal services during the smog season.
He instructed municipal staff to report the burning of rubbish and crop residues immediately, warning that such practices could worsen air pollution.
Assistant and deputy directors of local government will also take part in monitoring, while municipal officers have been assigned responsibilities at ward level in cities.
Rafique further called for attention to waste accumulating in vacant plots as part of efforts to improve cleanliness across the province.
The biometric registration system and sanitation measures form part of the Punjab government’s broader efforts to improve public services and municipal administration.
