Digitalization of Property Sector and its benefits
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The property market in Pakistan largely remains informal and unorganized with little government regulation. The real estate business operates on a system of brokers and commission agents who hold significant power in the market, resulting in limited transparency and accountability. Due to the absence of a formal regulatory framework for land registration, it is difficult for ordinary citizens to establish legal rights to their land or property.
The process of land registration is further complicated because most of the population does not have access to state institutions through which they can acquire documentation for their property holdings.
It makes it difficult for citizens to avail formal credit facilities from banks and financial institutions, resulting in a largely informal economy with little investment in fixed assets. While there are mechanisms for land restitution and compensation, they are also cumbersome and often fail to provide adequate protection and support for weaker segments of society.
Pakistan can benefit from leveraging information technology applications to improve governance related to property rights. ICTs allow citizens to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives, such as increased transparency and holding government officials accountable for their actions.
They also allow ordinary citizens to access services generally only provided by the Government, such as land registration and other administrative procedures. Further, ICTs can improve market information through increased transparency in transactions and enable financial instruments to finance property transactions. Additionally, automation at all levels of Government can reduce corruption and improve services at government offices.
To realize these benefits, however, stakeholders must work together to establish the necessary legal and regulatory framework to facilitate the use of ICTs for property rights applications. Given the informal nature of the real estate sector in Pakistan, it is essential to incorporate existing brokers within any formal service delivery mechanism. It will ensure that the sector continues to function while introducing increased efficiency and transparency.
For those who have been living under a rock lately, let us give you a brief synopsis about what digitalization is or, to be more specific, E-Governance. The word defines itself, so we shall not go into detail about it. However, the concept of digitalization in our country needs to change; looking at other countries, Pakistan’s rank is dismal when it comes to e-services and e-payment options for its citizens.
Let’s talk about why the Digitalization of the Property Sector in Pakistan is necessary and its benefits. An individual needs to have his record digitized if he wants to do any transaction, sell or buy real estate, etc. It is good from one perspective as it makes the system more transparent, and from a citizen’s point of view, you can be assured that no property is being bought/sold without dues if the record is digitized. It will help save people from problems they face now and then when buying or selling properties.
However, we all know how to get around everything in this country; we are talking about its prosperity and citizens. It will help bring more transparency to our Government, and yes, it is something that every Pakistani citizen needs. Talking about the Digitalization of the Property Sector in Pakistan, let’s see how it is helping other countries?
Take, for example, Sweden, and this country has got the most technology per capita than any other nation on Earth. It was ranked number one when it comes to broadband penetration, with people having access to the Internet at home, office, or anywhere else. Swedes are also among Europe’s early adopters of mobile communication technologies; they are often called “digital natives” by foreign experts because they have grown up with advanced communication tools since early childhood. Sweden has the highest per capita number of mobile phones globally, ahead even of the United States.
Many remote villages have Internet access through radio-based broadband provided by either commercial operators or public enterprises. The country ranks among the top 10 national statistics for mobile and fixed broadband penetration and the top 5 for usage rates (population kbps per capita). Digital television has been a reality since the late 1980s. Most homes are connected to cable or satellite TV networks; there is also extensive use of multiplex channels on terrestrial TV. Ninety-seven percent of households had internet access at home in 2012. Sweden has recently seen a surging interest in online shopping and banking services, with about% of the population having internet access at home.
The digitalization of the Property Sector in Pakistan can help people do things online, but it will also bring more transparency to the country, which is much needed here. It has been proven because people are using e-services more than ever now. If our Government officials start following suit, then maybe we will be able to save ourselves from financial troubles that face us, especially during these hard times.
Before conclusion, let’s talk about another digitalized country; this time, it is Singapore. According to World Economic Forum, Singapore ranks first among 144 countries on the Networked Readiness Index 2014, a measure of how ready countries are to exploit the opportunities offered by information and communication technologies for increased competitiveness and wellbeing.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) also said that Singapore is the most technologically advanced country in the world for the second year in a row. It is known for its ability to take quick and decisive action and solve complicated problems quickly and efficiently.
We all know by now that one of the biggest traits of Singapore, which have been on the rise for years now, is their discipline and punctuality. On top of Asia’s wealthiest countries, it is also ranked as having one of the cleanest living environments among advanced nations. It comes in at number two, just behind Japan when it comes to having an economically-optimal ecological balance. It shows that when the Government wants something done, it does not take much for them to get it done.
People are given their rights, but at the same time, they need to reconsider themselves as well because if you do not want things moving forward, then you have to give up your right. That is why Singapore can be considered one of the most prosperous countries in Asia, even though being so small. So let’s hope we follow suit and focus on developing our digital economy like other countries out there rather than wasting all our time fighting over petty issues because that will only bring us back over time.
In contrast, these countries will become more developed because of the young people who work hard to make a difference. It is what’s needed in Pakistan for ICT usage, kbps per capita in Pakistan. The details regarding other developed countries like Sweden and Singapore tell the importance of digitalizing property sectors. There are other benefits of digitalization, too, which are stated below. Please give them a read and share your opinions in the comment section.
Undoubtedly, the digitalization of property sectors in Pakistan will bring transparency to our system, and both sellers and buyers will be able to trust more. It will help to provide a single platform for multiple functions such as maps, surveys, records, and related transactions. This step will also attract more investors since the owner will be easily clarified. The benefits of digitalization do not stop here; in fact, that’s just the start. Such a platform will also provide a simple and easy method for selling or transferring property, and the number of property disputes will automatically decrease.
Conclusion:
The digitalization of all these records will also help develop Pakistan as a successful country by boosting the growth of GDP. How so? All these steps to move important records to the digital world will help regularize taxes and let Pakistan become a real estate sector. Moreover, there will be a significant increase in productivity too.
Nowadays, almost every person owns a phone and knows his ways toward the fast pace of technology. People love to get information online without moving from one place to another. All they do is search for something and get the required information. For example, if someone wants to go for dinner, he searches it on his phone instead of going to the place directly to check its availability. He gets the detail about the restaurant’s availability. It saves him the money to go and check first.
Moreover, it also saves his energy, time, and effort, which can be used in other work. Digitalization helps in the same way. It will bring the real estate information to one platform. The person won’t have to go and waste his money, time, efforts, and energy to find out who the owner of any land is or whether a particular land is available or not. What else could someone wish for? All these record savings will bring unlimited benefits to the people and country and let the people utilize the saved energy, money, efforts, and time in more useful works. So, all in all, it is truly a win-win situation for Pakistan too.
