New avenues: Minister calls for maximum usage of IT

Says government working on policies to make ICT accessible to the poorest.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain has called for taking maximum use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to evolve better policies and improve mechanism of implementation.

Addressing a two-day international workshop on ‘Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for Development: Mainstreaming the Marginalised’, organised by the Inter-Islamic Network on Information Technology (INIT), he said the cost of technologies was decreasing day by day and their usage and deployment was becoming ubiquitous.

“It has helped link people across communities, regions and borders. ICTs have opened up new avenues for providing access to information, employment, social justice, transparency along with helping combat extremism.

“ICTs have proven to be an equaliser for those at a disadvantage, and have given voice to those who were formerly unheard,” he added.

The workshop aims to deliver a unique participation-based learning experience for the invitees. It would include presentations, panel sessions and open discussions around the theme of identifying ways through which the poorest and most marginalised can access and benefit from ICTs.

The workshop was conducted by Professor Tim Unwin who has an extensive experience in the area of ICTs for development and is considered a leading authority on the subject. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2016.

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