K-P to take the lead in ICT

Major leap towards e-governance, says minister for information.


Sohail Khattak March 19, 2015
While addressing the media, Minister for Information and Higher Education Mushtaq Ghani said the ICT policy is a major leap towards e-governance and will increase the efficiency of state machinery. PHOTO: PPI

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is soon to become the first province in the country to implement an information and communications technology (ICT) policy. The provincial cabinet pencilled a master plan for its enactment during a meeting on Thursday.

The meeting, held at the Civil Secretariat, was attended by senior officials from various government departments, with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in chair.

While addressing the media, Minister for Information and Higher Education Mushtaq Ghani said the ICT policy is a major leap towards e-governance and will increase the efficiency of state machinery. He said this step will bridge the gap between rulers and the public, create employment opportunities, and lure direct foreign investment into K-P.

“The policy comprises five areas – governance, business, public service, ICT literacy, and research and development,” he said. Around Rs7 billion will be spent on its implementation over the next three years, added Ghani.

The minister said the K-P Public Service Commission’s redundancy was scrutinised in the meeting and a committee has been formed to suggest improvements. “Future recruitments will be completed within a year.”

It was also decided to amend the Canal and Drainage Act 1873 in order to rid the sanitation system of pollution. “The fine for polluters has been raised from Rs50 to Rs20,000 with two additional years in the slammer,” said Ghani; an alternative sewerage system will also be laid out.

The cabinet meeting also approved recommendations for the Judicial Academy Amendment Bill 2015. “It will be the country’s first provincial-level academy to award degrees in law and judicial studies,” Ghani said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2015.

 

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