The government is all set to launch second phase of information technology (IT) awareness project in northern areas (NAs) for promotion of IT in the country. "A sum of Rs 13 million has been approved for the initial phase. The project was handed over to Comsats, a subsidiary of ministry of Information Technology", an official in the ministry of Information Technology told Business Recorder here on Monday.
The Federal Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari approved the project a couple of years back.
The official said the project was aimed at giving Internet facilities in the remote areas of Northern Pakistan. Key areas included medicine (telehealth), education (distance learning), agricultural extension, promotion of rural business, conservation of natural and cultural heritage, and village-level planning and development.
The project is being implemented in three northern Pakistani communities: Gilgit, Hunza, and Baltistan.
According to plan, official sources added in order to provide access to relevant information through internet for remote populations living in Hunza and Baltistan, special training centers would be established in the area where IT professional would lecture.
Three separate institutions in Pakistan - Comsats, Karakoram Area Development Organisation (Kado), and Baltistan Health and Education Fund (BHEF) - are working in collaboration with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) to test the viability of project.
The Northern region of Pakistan is remote and generally under-privileged. The region's rugged, glacier-dominated landscape makes communication and travel difficult.
As a result of Comsats ISP and facility set up in 1999, 500 people/organisations/enterprises are now connected to the Internet and more than 100 students have been trained in computer skills.
The official said Internet connectivity would help boost tourism, and other businesses in the region adding the traders would be able to communicate more easily with their clients in the South of country and abroad.
The project will also raise awareness among Pakistani women and men about benefits of information technology.
It is pertinent to mention here the project was launched a year and half back in the region, but due to lack of funds the project was not implemented properly.
In the first phase, computers and networking facilities have been provided in two schools. Students, teachers, and school management of these schools have started using information and communication technologies to access low cost, effective, and high quality learning material.
In addition, 270 people have benefited from training in ICTs. Local youth is taking keen interest in the training sessions.
E-village resource centers have been established in two villages and E-village resource persons have been trained to run these centers on their own.