Prestigious UN award on ICT for Anusha

ISLAMAABD: Minister of State for IT Anusha Rehman Ahmad Khan was awarded Gem-Tech Global Achievement Award by the United Nations Women and International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

According to the UN report in recognition of her work, the United Nations ITU and UN Women have awarded Mrs. Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan GEM-TECH Global Achievers award. The annual award seeks to create a platform for advancing women’s meaningful engagement with information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their role as decision-makers and producers within this sector. She has maintained that the award is for Pakistan. The citation says that Anusha Rehman has proved her mettle through sheer hard work and pursued the vision of Digital Pakistan in true letter and spirit. She successfully took many key initiatives for the development of ICT sector and specially focused “women empowerment through ICT”. She is a person who brought 3G/4G through transparent auction in the country.

Her few prominent initiatives which are being implemented included 500 tele-centres which are being established throughout the country including Balochistan and Fata by USF for un-served underserved populations in order to provide them basic e-services (i.e.: e-health, e-education and e -Agriculture.) These tele-centers will generate local employability and it is mandatory to adjust 30% girls there. The Tech-city, An Incubation project for training of young entrepreneurs and startups has been initiated and will be awarded to successful bidder in January 2016 and 50% girls quota has been fixed there as well. ‘A special project for the women empowerment through ICT has been solicited by ICT R&D Fund Company. This ICT for women entrepreneurship programme will help in leveraging ICT capacity for benefit of women and girls. Therefore, this capacity building programme will be initiated in federal vis-à-vis provincial capitals simultaneously. Ms. Anusha Rehman Ahmad Khan has initiated a special project for the poor girls of Baitulmal:-USF & Baitulmal (in collaboration) are going to establish 50 Computer labs in Baitulmal centers in first phase.

Microsoft will impart ICT training i.e. coding, web-designing etc to these Girls so that they could earn their livelihood honourably. She courageously brought first comprehensive Cyber Crime Legislations “Prevention of cyber crime Bill 2015” and inculcated special measures to protect our women and young girls from harassment on Social media. Anusha Rehman must be credited for bringing sectoral New Comprehensive Telecom policy 2015 which adequately covers the whole telecom sector and new challenges including competition framework, spectrum issues, satellite and many others have been addressed. Women and girls are specially focused in this new policy document. In recognition of her work, the United Nation organizations, ITU and UN Women have awarded Minister of State for IT, Mrs. Anusha Rahman Khan, GEM-TECH Global Achievers award. She is leaving for the UN New York headquarters to receive the award in a prestigious ceremony.