Govt decides to close Telecom Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology has instructed its subordinate institutions to implement the recommendations of the government’s Institutional Reforms Committee for rightsizing.

The federal government has decided to close the Telecom Foundation and privatise its subsidiaries. The committee has prepared recommendations for the Ministry of IT, and the ministry has written a letter to the heads of its eight institutions, stating the reforms committee has recommended a major reorganisation of the National IT Board (NITB).

The committee has recommended the NITB make partnerships with private service providers, advising it to improve its efficiency through an external model. The committee has recommended increasing the revenue of Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) to Rs1 billion. The PSEB has been asked to make itself financially independent and reduce its dependence on the government.

The committee has directed the Virtual University, Universal Service Fund and ECC to continue their services. It has also asked Ignite National Technology Fund to continue by overcoming its failures.