The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Technology has directed the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications to improve the quality of services in view of IT sector’s vital role in ushering in economic development during modern times.
Standing Committee met at the Parliament House Monday under the Chairmanship of Senator Muhammad Idrees Khan Safi, as quoted by Online News.
The Committee, which was given a presentation on the working and performance of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunications, observed though the country has established its presence on the world telecom map, it still has a long way to go in the IT sector. It specifically instructed the Ministry to ensure service quality in the rural areas of the country where bulk of the population lives, saying that the quality of Telecom services are reasonably good in major cities but the service providers leave much to be desired in the far flung areas.
It also directed that broadband network should also be expanded and upgraded there. It urged that these companies are making good profit, these should also realize their corporate social responsibilities. Earlier, the Committee was given a detailed presentation on performance of the Ministry and its attached departments with special focus on the upcoming projects conceived by it. It was informed that IT and Telecom are inter-related sectors.
It was told that Telecom is a success story in Pakistan and it has been developed by leaps and bounds, leaving other countries of the region far behind. He said that the prime objective of the Ministry is to form policies, determine implementation framework alongwith formulating goals and objectives and ensuring quality of service. He said that the Ministry is focusing on accelerating automation in government departments for greater efficiency and transparency.
He also said that telecom is a deregulated sector. There are six mobile cellular operators in the country and 72 local loop operators. With regard to tele-density there are 3.728 million fixed lines and 94.340 million mobile lines in the country. And this sector is contributing nearly 112 billion to the national exchequer alongwith an FDI of 815 million US $, he added. The meeting was attending among others by Senators Moula Baksh Chandio, Muhammad Zahid Khan and Pervaiz Rashid besides the Secretary Ministry of IT and Telecommunications and senior officials of the Ministry.
Via Online News
