The Sindh Information Technology Ministry is eyeing to grab business process out-sourcing (BPOs) from the US-based companies that currently stretches to $50 billion on the international market. The ministry has sought expertise of a Washington-based pioneer founder of call centres and BPOs, Gurujot Singh Kalsa of World Bridge Connect (WBC), who agrees to co-operate with the ministry. Provincial Information Technology Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal stated this while talking to Business Recorder in an exclusive interview.
He said Kalsa would provide training as well as other services for setting up world class call centres in Karachi.
The provincial IT ministry needs complete autonomy in planning and funds to build infrastructure, that would obviously attract potential foreign investment in the IT enable services, he said."
"The province has enormous human resources potential coupled with the competitive edge over other countries in the region. This is the right time to nurture such potential", he said, adding, "We have also studied regional IT scenario in which the human resource in India is drying rapidly, especially in the IT enable services and business process out-sourcing (BPOs).
"We have to build our own friction-less infrastructure of international standard that would help in attracting foreign companies to set up centres for BPOs and IT enable services in our province," Kamal said.
In this connection, the ministry had already chalked out a multi-pronged strategy. The ministry is simultaneously working on e-government programmes of the provincial government, setting up of Internet Media City, IT Awareness Centres across the province, training of government staff and teachers and preparation of provincial e-government software.
Mustafa Kamal said technology is the only answer to every question and it helped in reducing the cost of provincial government meetings. On the other hand, the Internet technology also serves the people of the province in seeking job opportunities, downloading tax, Haj and other forms, checking of examination results, etc.
Presently, the ministry is facing lack of funds as only Rs 113 million has been allocated in the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2004-05, while the federal government has provided Rs 260 million, he said, adding that all the projects of the ministry would be completed before 2007.
In the past, the provincial IT ministry was restricted to only one department and was unable to offer or plan big projects.
One of the major challenges faced by the ministry is unemployment. In order to create employment opportunities for graduates, the provincial government is continuously contacting potential foreign investors to establish IT enable services. He said by 2007 unemployment would be eliminated and there would be no shortage of jobs for graduates in the province.
"We are striving to make Karachi 'Cyberachi' within two years by establishing new call centres in the province, he said, adding that call centres of about 5,000 seats are expected to be set up in Karachi in the next six months.