Lahore-A strategic partnership agreement was signed between the Punjab government and a leading computer software company Microsoft at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here Friday.
According to the agreement, the Microsoft will extend all-out cooperation for training and development of local IT industry. The company will also set up an innovation centre at Software Technology Park.
Punjab additional chief secretary Javed Aslam and the head of Microsoft Company in Pakistan, Kamal Ahmad, signed the document.
Senior Advisor Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, provincial Minister for Information Technology Farooq Yousaf Ghurki, the chief secretary, the Information Technology secretary, the Information secretary and Microsoft for Middle East and Africa president Ali Faramawy were also present.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that signing of the document was an important event in the history of the province as the three-year agreement between the Punjab government and the Microsoft Company would prove to be a milestone in the promotion of IT in Punjab. He said the information technology was essential for development as well as capacity-building of various departments. He said that the Punjab government had adopted a comprehensive strategy for promoting IT and foundation of a revolution in education sector had been laid down through setting up of IT labs in 4286 schools of the province.
He said that the agreement with Microsoft would result in all-out cooperation of Microsoft for the promotion of IT industry in Punjab. He said that the use of IT would result in a positive change in health, education, law & order, agriculture, livestock and other sectors while information technology would also be used for evolving a system of accountability for eradication of corruption which was the most serious problems being faced by the country.
He said that IT would help in checking misappropriation of funds and implementation of development projects in a transparent manner. He said that, in addition to uplift of education sector, the Microsoft Company would also extend cooperation in improving the efficiency of TEVTA. He said that Microsoft would provide free software to 454 IT academies running under the control of TEVTA. He said the agreement would usher in the era of e-government while IT would help in the provision of education, health and other facilities to the masses. He said that the Microsoft Company would also set up information centers which would strengthen IT sector. He said that IT training centers would also be set up under this agreement and Microsoft would manage the centers for one year. He said that master trainers would be trained in these institutions and sent to far-flung areas of the province which, helping produce a large number of IT experts. He said that the Punjab government would set up an IT Park with the consultation of Microsoft to promote IT activities in the province.
He said that, under the agreement, the Punjab government would invest a sum of three billion rupees in three years while Microsoft would invest 1.5 billion rupees. Resultantly, the Punjab government would earn a profit of Rs 500 million in three years.
Microsoft Company for Middle East and Africa president Ali Faramawy said that the agreement signed between a leading computer software company of the world Microsoft and the Punjab government for the promotion of information technology, was unique in the history of Pakistan. He said that the importance of information technology had grown manifold in the present era and the technology was playing an important role in the promotion of economic activities and generation of employment opportunities. He said that the agreement would help in improving efficiency of education and other sectors in Punjab and this partnership would leave a far-reaching impact.
He paid tributes to the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the promotion of information technology in the province, saying the efforts being made by the chief minister would prove to be fruitful.
Punjab Information Technology chairman and a graduate of MIT, Dr. Javed Ghani, while giving details of the agreement, said that this agreement was the result of the vision of the chief minister of “service to the people through IT”. He said the agreement would improve the performance of government departments and result in the provision of online service to citizens.
Earlier, a high level meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Punjab chief minister for the promotion of information technology in the province. Senior Advisor Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah Khan, the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary, the Information Technology secretary and Punjab Information Technology Board chairman were present in the meeting.
The chief minister said that IT gateway project would result in capacity-building of various departments and, in the first phase, admissions to first year in the Lahore College would be made under this program to save the students from inconvenience. Similarly, he said, IT technology would be utilized in the Punjab Public Service Commission, availability of medicines in health sector, registration of FIR in police and other sectors. He said that long-term strategic partnership with the Microsoft would promote IT industry and bring about a revolution in the province. He said that despite wastage of huge national resources on software project of land record computerization in the past no progress had been made but the measures being taken by present government for promotion of information technology would yield positive result.
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