Province ends queues and procedures with mobile application of the Civil Registry Management System
Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah presents a birth certificate to one of the parents during the launch of Civil Registration Management System (CRMS) mobile application at CM House in Karachi on November 28. PHOTO: PPI
KARACHI:
In a major push towards digital governance, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah launched the Civil Registration Management System mobile application, a platform that now allows citizens to register births, deaths, marriages and divorces online, without visiting any relevant government or office.
The prime minister said the initiative is a “milestone in Sindh’s transition to a digital future”, and that the system would eliminate queues, paperwork and delays, and make essential services accessible to people across the province, particularly those living in remote and underserved areas.
Home registrations
The Civil Registration Management System (CRMS) mobile application, developed in collaboration with NADRA, is part of the larger Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (e-CRVS) system approved at a cost of Rs 471 crore. The system will cover 30 districts and 769 health facilities, ensuring that 85% of births that occur in public and private hospitals are recorded digitally.
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Shah said the app would also integrate vaccination records, disease surveillance and patient identity management, enabling accurate real-time data critical for planning and public health.
“Civil registration has been low for a long time because many less privileged families could not pay NADRA fees,” the Prime Minister noted. “To remove this barrier, the Sindh cabinet decided that the provincial government will pay all NADRA fees for registration of births and deaths.”
Mandatory birth registration within hours
The Prime Minister announced that birth registration would be mandatory throughout Sindh immediately after the birth of the child. “Five years from now, every child’s mapping and school planning will be based on this data,” he said, ordering hospitals to ensure instant registration of all newborns.
He added that implementation at union council level would be crucial and that the performance of local representatives would now be assessed based on registration rates.
Shah highlighted that all Sindh cabinet meetings have already shifted to a completely paperless system. The provincial government now aims to expand digital reforms to address issuance, social protection systems, medical records, licensing and electronic payments, consolidating them under a unified and secure digital platform.
NADRA, he said, has been an “essential partner” through solutions like Pak-ID, and will ensure its data privacy and security standards extend to the new system as well.
The healthcare sector will benefit from integrated data
Provincial Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho briefed the Prime Minister on the network of 769 health centers now connected to the new system. Integrated data, he said, would support programs like the Electronic Immunization Registry and help guide interventions for diseases like thalassemia.
NADRA Director General Amir Ali Khan and Local Government Secretary Waseem Shamshed signed an additional agreement confirming NADRA’s role in securing and maintaining the CRMS mobile application. All terms of the original memorandum of understanding remain intact.
Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah said the Digital Sindh initiative would ensure transparency and accuracy in governance processes.
