RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance Abdullatif Al-Asheikh inaugurated the electronic portal of the ministry’s branch, the Tarassul program for electronic transactions, as well as a smart mosque project. It comes as part of the ministry’s efforts to keep pace with technological change, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. The inauguration ceremony held at the ministry headquarters in Makkah was attended by the directors of departments and administrative divisions in the branch. Al-Sheikh viewed a presentation of the technical projects and their mechanisms, which are part of the ministry’s mission to serve holy sites in the Kingdom. The digital portal, Tarassul, aims to automate the work of the ministry’s branch by receiving and following up on departmental services and incoming requests electronically. This aims to increase work efficiency and speed of completion to support digital transformation with self-efforts from IT staff. Tarassul processed 3,000 requests during its trial launch. The program contributes to cost-saving and ease of use for the end-user, offering touch screen and simple graphical interfaces to users. Al-Sheikh said that the Tarassul program connecting the Makkah MoIA branch with the ministry and its governorates, and affiliated centers, serves the ministry in facilitating its work and serves citizens in fulfilling their needs smoothly when in Makkah, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The project also offers the ability to monitor any issues in the Grand Mosque, and automatically report them by issuing alerts. In addition, statistical reports of operations and consumption rates can be produced by the program. Tarassul also offers monitoring and linking the status of mosques through a mobile application that connects wirelessly to mosque networks. Al-Sheikh said that a smart mosque in Makkah will be the first to use advanced technology in all its devices, such as lighting, air conditioning and more. He added that it is the first experimental mosque in the Kingdom, and will serve as the nucleus for future digitization projects. Al-Sheikh added that the launch of the digital portal connects the branch with the ministry, the branch with its governorates and its affiliated centers, and offers a messaging program that serves the ministry in facilitating its work. Meanwhile, the minister on Saturday made an inspection tour to Al-Tanaim Mosque in Makkah, where he was briefed on the mosque’s facilities and services that are being provided to Umrah pilgrims and visitors.