The Senate deeming the 53% budget cut for the information technology sector in the country as unreasonable has rejected the action. The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology has urged the government to restore the budget for the sector.
Senator Rubina Khalid, chairperson of the committee, speaking on the occasion said, “The huge budget cut for the IT sector is totally unreasonable, especially when the economic growth worldwide depends on progress in this field. We recommend that the IT budget should be restored.”
At the meeting, the Senator had termed the lack of funding as one of the primary reasons behind the government departments’ failure in the implication of policies.
PPP Senator Rehman Malik speaking on the occasion said, “The IT Budget should be increased by at least 50%, if not by 100%,”
The IT industry requires special attention and should be elevated on par with India, expressed the senators. At the briefing of the Senate committee, the Ministry of IT Secretary Maroof Afzal said that the budget has been halved for the ongoing fiscal year from Rs. 3.046 billion to Rs. 1.5 billion.
He also informed them that the ministry is establishing a technology park worth Rs. 9.246 billion with assistance from Korea. He added that the project has been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council and will be started soon.
Furthermore, Mr. Afzal also told the committee that the government was laying more than 4,000km of OFC and that the new system would reduce the country’s dependency on the undersea internet cable that is often damaged and disconnects Pakistan from the rest of the world.
