Sindh finalises ICT board bill

KARACHI: Sindh Law Department has finalised bill for the formation of Sindh Information and Communication Technology Board (SICTB) with the focus on automation of Sindh government activities.

Preparations for forming the board have been underway for the last three months under the leadership of IT Minister Nawabzada Muhammad Taimur Talpur.

IT Department Director General Muhammad Yousuf told The News that automation of the government activities, establishment of IT University, formation of IT Policy, and looking of jobs for university graduates would be the major objectives of the board.

The board would work under one managing director as the managerial head, while Sindh chief minister would be its chairman and IT minister co-chairman.

In addition to it, secretaries of IT, finance, law, planning and development departments, and director general IT would be its public sector members.

Besides, no more than two members from public sector and six members from private sector having experience in information technology sector would be its members.

The managing director would have powers to exercise administrative control over the day to day functioning of the board, including management, financial management, human resource management, and management of ICT affairs.

Though MD would be selected from the private sector, the board would function under the administrative control of Sindh IT department, read the draft of the bill.

“For legal requirements, a summary will be forwarded to the chief minister within week, later cabinet will give approval to send the bill in to legislative assembly for passing it as act,” the DG said.

The board would promote usage of ICT by awarding scholarships, awards, certificates, holding of conferences etc, said the draft of the bill. It would also “establish academia-industry linkage.”

It would ensure that the shares of the province were secured in all federal ICT related services, including autonomous

bodies and corporations established by, or under the control of, federal national information and communication technology research fund. Besides, it would also collaborate with information and communications technology bodies in public and private sectors.

Previously, Sindh IT Board was formed in 2002 during the Musharraf government, which was later transformed into IT ministry and the board ceased to exist. However, IT ministry has very little staff of around 25 peoples and it had to outsource all its products.

Muhammad Yousuf said major purpose of the board was to create paperless environment in Sindh government activities along with its 50 departments.

“The board will be the centre of all IT requirements of the government and its departments,” he said.

Sindh IT Advisory Committee would finalise the rules of the business of the SICTB.

Minister for Information Science and Technology Nawabzada Muhammad Taimur Talpur talking to the department officials hoped Sindh government would become model e-governance, accordance with modern IT, and would go ahead of other provinces of country.

Talpur said after the completion SICTB would be profitable for Sindh, especially in the stabilisation of the economy.