Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has joined hands with Punjab Irrigation Department to introduce a smart and simple solution for the payment of water tax through e-Pay Punjab.
e-Abiana is a digital mechanism for the automation of water payments collection system and fines through the e-Pay Punjab system. The system has been launched with the express purpose of not only facilitating tax payments, but also to ensure transparency and minimize cases of corruption and tax fraud.
Chairman PITB Azfar Manzoor and Secretary Irrigation capt. retired Saif Anjum signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Provincial Minister IT & Higher Education Department Raja Yasir Hamayun and Punjab Minister Irrigation Mohsin Khan Leghari. DG IT Operations PITB Faisal Yousaf was also present at the occasion.
Mr. Hamayun believes that the project will streamline the process of revenue collection and enable the Irrigation Department e-Pay Punjab to ensure transparency.
“The project, e-Abiana, would digitalize water collection money received from farmers in the form of Abiana, which would be collected by the Irrigation Department e-Pay Punjab. It would, in particular, enable the department to ensure transparency and make collection of the revenue easier,” he commented.
Mr. Leghari expressed that considering the massive volume of water tax collected from farmers annually, this technology would help generate greater transparency throughout this process.
“In Punjab alone, the calculated amount of Abiana (water tax) collected is almost PKR 4 billion per annum. The primary objective of e-Abiana is to develop a technology-based solution to generate transparency for collecting Abiana from the farmers,” he stated.
“In future, integration of e-Abiana through e-Pay would enable occupiers to pay water taxes and fines through all the branches of banks across Pakistan and via all digital channels of e-Pay,” Chairman PITB Azfar Manzoor said on the occasion.
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