ISLAMABAD:
On Wednesday, Dr. Umar Saif, the caretaker Federal Minister for IT and telecom, announced that the government will offer interest-free loans for the establishment of E-Working Centres to help independent contractors.
Saif told the media that every independent contractor would receive Rs100,000 to help set up an E-Working Centre, with the independent contractor providing the remaining costs.
About 1.5 million independent contractors lack access to adequate workstations, and this programme aims to remedy that situation.
Dr. Saif highlighted the potential economic implications of this decision, suggesting that each freelancer may make $25,000 to $30,000 per year, making a major contribution to the national economy.
He estimated a $3 billion boost in IT exports if these policies were implemented.
The government is also making efforts to open the door to loans and investments for IT firms, with the goal of luring in $1 billion in external capital over the course of the next six months.
Concerning the shortage of IT professionals, Dr. Saif disclosed that between 2,000 and 2,200 of the 20,000 to 22,000 IT graduates generated annually by Pakistani institutions actually find jobs in the field.
In response, the minister has proposed making IT training mandatory for all university students in the country, which could increase the number of trained workers in the IT sector by over 200,000 and increase IT exports to $5 billion.
Dr. Saif also suggested providing incentives for IT firms that bring back money from outside, an idea that may bring an additional $1.2–$2 billion to the country.
Dr. Saif explained the government’s plan to encourage local manufacturing of affordable, high-quality mobile phones, noting that Pakistan has the seventh-largest mobile phone market with 190 million subscribers.
The goal of this plan is to lessen the need for imported phones, save money, and make new jobs possible in the tech sector.
Dr. Saif discussed the National Roaming Policy that he hopes would improve mobile service for customers by allowing telecom firms to share towers.
The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) plans to teach some 100,000 IT experts as part of an initiative to increase the country’s IT capabilities.
