PTI formally launches digital policy

Making information technology as the top contributor to the country's exports and job creation, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday formally launched its digital policy aimed at transforming the country into a knowledge economy. Announcing the policy here as a part of election manifesto, PTI central leader Asad Umar said that the policy was formulated after consultations with IT industry and others stakeholders. He said the policy was open and people could give their inputs which would be incorporated in the revised policy.
He said the policy had three main objectives including creation of more jobs for youth, enhancing the country's IT exports and promoting e-governance to control corruption. "This visionary policy encompasses long-term programs which cover everything from education, infrastructure and financing to global market access," he said.
He said PTI's vision for a digital Pakistan would not only create an unprecedented number of jobs in the IT sector, but would also become an enabler for transforming the rest of the economy.
Asad Umar said currently around 115,000 youth were working in IT industry, adding that efforts would be made to enhance the numbers to one million for which scholarships would be awarded to the IT students. He said if PTI was voted to power, the country's IT related exports would be enhanced from the current $2 billion to $10 billion under the digital policy.
He said open government data would increase transparency, curb corruption and increase efficiency in governance. He said 120 new campuses of tier-1 universities would be supported to produce 100,000 technology graduates every year under the policy.
Umar said proper training to math and English teachers would also be part of the policy to produce competitive workforce. The direct financial incentives would be provided to tens of thousand of teachers to improve their math, English and science teaching skills, he said. He said five new major technology clusters (special economic zones) would also be developed with international class infrastructure.
Umar said every year around one million youth were entering into the market for seeking employment as per the statistic of Planning Commission. It was the responsibility of the government to create jobs opportunities for the people, he said.
He said the country's exports had sharply declined in last five years resulting huge trade deficit. "To overcome the trade deficit, we will have to increase our exports," he said.