Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication (ITT), Syed Amin-ul-Haq inaugurated the Smart Village Project, marking the first step towards providing digital facilities related to health and education in the outskirts of Islamabad’s village of Gokina.
Universal Service Fund, International Telecom Union, Huawei Pakistan, TeleTaleem, and Sehat Kahani are among the project partners, said Aminul Haque.
This is a pilot project and similar Smart Village projects will soon be launched in all four provinces, the Minister said.
“Our resolve is to connect people living in rural areas to the digital world,” he added. “A few weeks ago, under the TeleSchool Foundation, digital schools were established in Karachi and Hyderabad. In many countries, daily affairs like health, education, and agriculture, have digital,” he noted.
The Minister said that the foundation of Gokina Smart Village is being laid today, as efforts are being made to expand smart villages across Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, and other cities in Pakistan. With connectivity at the forefront of their priorities, the focus is on improving connectivity in rural and remote areas.
He said that the Girls’ Secondary School in Gokina will receive modern computer labs and virtual education facilities. In view of difficulties in providing medical facilities in the village, digital medical consultancy facilities will also be provided, he added.
As part of this initiative, the smart village project aims to showcase the capabilities of talented and motivated youth, while simultaneously addressing the daily issues faced by the local population.
The project’s mission is to bridge the gap between rural and urban communities, empowering individuals through access to technology and resources, the Minister concluded.
CEO of USF, Haris Chaudhry, also addressed the media to discuss the initiative. He said, “The USF is working to provide internet connectivity to remote and underdeveloped areas, including motorways and small towns. This marks the first time that the private sector has partnered with the USF to create a smart village.”
Pakistan is the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to build a smart village, which will incorporate digital services as part of its infrastructure. The digitization process is directly linked to human development and progress.
On this occasion, Chairman NADRA, Tariq Malik, said that “After the successful launch of mobile vehicle registration, a motorcycle registration service is now being launched, which will register citizens living in far-flung areas. The motorcycle service will be started from Gokina as well.”
While also addressing the occasion, Ahmed Bilal Masud, Deputy CEO of Huawei Technologies Pakistan said, “Huawei continues to progress in Pakistan as a key contributor with USF projects in the rural areas through our operators. The challenges that come with digitalization are large, but the opportunity is even larger in Pakistan. Digitalization is essential for competitiveness, representing an incentive to increase the ability to play a more significant role in the international community.”
India is for ahead from us.They had started 5G tech.
Their villagers are getting ease of business through it.
When Pakistan will lauch 5 G yet not clear.Through 5 G tech our business as well as our digital dream come true.