IT Ministry Seeks Rs 16.5B Allocations in Budget 2023-24

Our Correspondent

The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication is seeking Rs 16.5 billion allocations in Allocations in Budget 2023-24 for new and ongoing projects.

The budget encompasses both developmental and non-developmental expenses of the ministry and its affiliated institutions, with the non-developmental expenditure amounting to Rs 10.5 billion. Uzbekistan to Invest in E-Commerce, Trade and Industry in Pakistan

Within the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), the ministry aims to allocate Rs 6 billion for 28 development projects.

The proposed and ongoing projects include the IT Wing, National Information Technology Board, Special Communication Organization, Software Export Board, allocation of funds for various projects of the Punjab Information Technology Board funded by the Ministry of IT, digitization of the Presidency, Senate, and National Assembly, General Data Protection Regulation Compliance Management System, and plans for the completion of ongoing Smart Office projects in Federal Ministries and Departments.

Additionally, the projects entail the construction of four Knowledge Parks in different cities and the establishment of software technology parks in districts.

The projects also encompass Crime Analytics and Smart Policing projects in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit, the expansion of freelancing training programs nationwide, and the establishment and operational costs of National Incubation Centers. Other projects consist of Sino-Pak, the establishment of the Center of Artificial Intelligence, the One Patient-One ID project, an internship program, cyber security program projects, expansion of broadband services, and the establishment of data centers in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as a project for an online recruitment system for the Federal Public Service Commission.

The ministry is seeking Rs 90.3 million for project monitoring and digital transformation sale, as well as Rs 230 million for ongoing projects of Smart Office in Federal Ministries and Departments.

Additionally, it requests Rs 20.24 million for Information and Communication Technology infrastructure in the Presidency and Rs 190 million to enhance the quality and autonomy of the demand driver industry in various cities of Pakistan.

The following is a list of project allocations:

Rs 40.58 million for the One Patient-One ID project
Rs 500 million for ongoing projects to make the Senate and National Assembly cyber efficient
Rs 150 million for the certification of IT professionals
Rs 50.14 million for the General Data Protection Regulation Compliance Management System
Rs 180 million for the Information and Communication Technology Internship Programme
Rs 100 million for the Smart Capital project through the Pakistan Stock Exchange
Rs 250 million for ongoing projects of 25 Software Technology Parks in various cities
Rs 160 million for the ongoing project of Karachi IT Park
Rs 50 million for ongoing projects of setting up 4 Knowledge Parks in different cities
Rs 540 million for the Technology Park Development Project in Islamabad
Rs 22.53 million for High Skills Boot Camps in Islamabad and Karachi
Rs 50 million for the Crime Analytics and Smart Policing project in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit
Rs 90 million nationwide (through PITB) under the National Freelance Training Programme
Rs 150 million for the expansion projects of National Incubation Centres
Rs 5.4 billion under the Cyber Security Project under the Digital Pakistan Policy
Rs 150 million for the establishment of the Sino-Pak Center for Artificial Intelligence
Rs 3.37 billion for the establishment of data centers for the provision of cloud-based services in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit
Rs 39.70 million for the Broadband Services Expansion Project in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit
In the upcoming financial year, the Universal Service Fund, Ignite, and the National Telecom Corporation have separate development projects worth billions of rupees.