IT ministry approves Rs14 billion for USF Co

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday approved Rs14 billion to fund broadband sustainable development projects for under-served areas, a statement said. Anusha Rahman, minister of state for IT and Telecom approved the budget of Universal Service Fund Company (USF Co) for the current fiscal year of 2017-18. 

“The government attached high priority to digital empowerment of women/girls and her ministry was well on course to meet the target of covering all villages with 100 percent population by 2018,” the statement quoted the minister as saying.

The statement said the approved budget spend on development of broadband and telephony services in the underserved areas in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan provinces.

“The budget also included allocation for other USF programs including ICTs (information communication technology) for girls and also for the promotion and enhancement of demand side program specially e-commerce for MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) across Pakistan,” it added.  

The minister directed the officials of USFco to complete the project within stipulated time period and to also complete “hiring of 200 teachers on merit”.