Free Internet service in five cities launched

CM says future of Pakistan linked to IT; investment made on project
of free Wi-Fi service returned with saving of one human life

LAHORE

The Punjab government has launched free Internet service, Wi-Fi Hotspot, at over 200 places of five cities; Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan and Bahawalpur, while this service will also be available at 16 places in Murree.

Hundreds of thousands of citizens will benefit from the service and they will get convenience in making contacts. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the free Internet service at a ceremony held at Arfa Kareen Software Technology Park by pressing a button.

Addressing the ceremony, the chief minister said the launch of the free Internet service in five big cities was a huge step towards converting the province to the digital system. He said the Punjab government had taken revolutionary measures for the promotion of the IT and the performance many of several government departments had been enhance by utilising IT. He said patwari culture and corruption had been eliminated through the new system. He said the credit of the project launched with the cooperation of the World Bank went to the whole team of the Punjab government.

Shahbaz Sharif said the future of Pakistan was lined to IT. He said IT University was operating in Arfa Karim Technology Park while new campus of the university was being set up by acquiring land worth billions of rupees on Bedian Road and the possession of the land had been handed over to its VC Dr Umer Saif. He said the VC had promised to set up the new campus in one year. He said the IT University would be a great achievement and funds for it would be earmarked in the forthcoming budget.  

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif mentioned how the free Wi-Fi service helped save the life of a patient in General Hospital. He said the husband of a patient used the free Wi-Fi service to launch an appeal for blood for his wife and the quick service helped him get blood and save the life of his wife.  He said all investment made on the project of the free Wi-Fi service had been returned with the saving of one human life.

Punjab Information Technology Board Chairman Dr Umer Saif said the chief minister had taken revolutionary measures to provide facilities to the people. He said the chief minister had taken excellent and exemplary steps for using IT in government departments. He said the husband of the patient in the General Hospital did not have phone balance and he used free internet facility provided by the Punjab government and made a call through whatsapp and arranged blood for his wife. 

He said IT had brought about revolution in several departments while KP and Sindh governments had sought cooperation from the Punjab government to bring about improvement in the performance of government departments, and Shehbaz Sharif had directed that all-out cooperation be provided to both provincial governments.

Dr Umer Saif presented a shield to the chief minister. Shahbaz Sharif presented shields to Project Manager of Free Internet Service Sajjad Ghani, experts and officers.

HOSPITAL: Shahbaz Sharif presided over a meeting in which the Punjab government and the Indus Hospital Trust decided to speed up measures to improve the health care system. 

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said the Punjab government and the Indus Trust will establish a modern 500-bed hospital jointly and the hospital would be an example of the service to the distressed humanity. He said the poor would be provided free treatment in the hospital and this model should proceed. He said burden on big hospitals would decrease with the construction of hospitals in the surrounding areas of Lahore. He said after Bedian Road Hospital, the Indus Trust would operate hospitals in Manawan, Sabzazar, Raiwind and Kahna. He said beds in Bedian Road Hospital would be increased while the number of beds in Sabzazar Hospital would be increased from 60 to 100. He said he was fighting against old and worn-out system to serve the distressed humanity and the Indus Hospital Trust was cooperating with him in this war.