KARACHI: Aminul Haque, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Communication, stated that an agreement has been made with Google for 45,000 scholarships, which will increase to 450,000 next year.
The upcoming scholarships will include a 40 percent allocation for women. Google had provided only 15,000 scholarships last year, but the ministry interfered to increase the number through consultations. An amount of $1.6 million has been allocated to construct a building in NED University Karachi for gaming and animation, which will boost the industry.
He expressed these views during a speech at the IT Conference organized by the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI).
Google’s skill development plans aligned with govt’s vision: Minister
Haq stated that the IT Ministry is working towards the vision of the IT industry in 2050. In Pakistan, the investment in this sector in the 2020 was $75 million, which increased to $373 million in 2021. Similarly, after the ministry’s efforts, the regulatory duty on mobile phones has been abolished since March 30.
The Federal Minister for IT added that as soon as the ministry was established, the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Policy was formulated to establish the mobile manufacturing industry in the country, and within a few months the production began.
In this regard, 70 new projects were initiated with an investment of $75 million. He stated that by 2019, 160 million people in the country were using mobile phones, which increased to 200 million by 2020.
Similarly, broadband access was available to 70 million people, which increased to 125 million.
Amin-ul-Haq also mentioned that when the ministry was established, 5 incubation centres were operating in the major cities of the country, which have now increased to 8 in three years. He stated that our focus is to promote startups, gaming, and the animation industry in the country.
However, former Chairman and Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said that entrepreneurs and startups are working very hard, but today startups do not require significant capital investment. He emphasized the importance of research and development in the IT sector, noting that startups are currently doing great work, which is essential for the industry.
KATI Deputy Patron-in-Chief Zubair Chhaya mentioned that the production cost in Pakistan has increased significantly. However, the country lacks the facilities available as compared to the developed countries for startups. He said that when Federal Minister Aminul Haq took charge, IT export was at the level of $1 billion, but at the end of the previous fiscal year, it reached a record level of $2.6 billion.
While it is positive that Pakistan’s IT exports have increased, Chhaya pointed out that the neighboring country’s revenues were $149 billion last year, significantly higher than Pakistan’s.
During the event, Maheen Salman, Chairperson of the standing committee, stated that their effort is to establish professional educational institutions with curricula that align with the industry’s needs. Previously, many people obtained degrees in large numbers but were unable to find employment.
Now, the aim is to provide professional training according to the industry’s requirements through consultation with the industry. She further stated that the existing startups today were merely projects last year, but they have now started to achieve success.
Senior Vice President of KATI Nighat Awan requested the government to exempt duties on machinery and items used in the IT sector, allowing for the expansion of the IT industry in the country.
During the ceremony, Anwar Khan, Ahmed Uziar, the founders of Pak Angels, and Hasan Syed, founder of Pakistan Espire also spoke.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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