The ministry intervened to increase the number of scholarships through consultations after Google offered only 15,000 last year.
A deal between Google and the federal government for 45,000 scholarships, which will rise to 450,000 the following year, was announced by the minister. A 40% female allocation will be made available for upcoming scholarships of Google.
The ministry intervened to increase the number of scholarships through consultations after Google offered only 15,000 last year.
Building for gaming and animation has been allocated $1.6 million at NED University Karachi, which will help the industry. In a speech at the IT Conference held by the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, he shared these opinions (KATI).
The IT Ministry is pursuing the goal of the IT industry in 2050, according to the minister. In Pakistan, $75 million was invested in this industry in 2020; by 2021, that amount had risen to $373 million.
Similar to this, since March 30 there is no longer a regulatory charge on mobile phones thanks to the ministry’s efforts. The mobile manufacturing industry was established in the nation as soon as the ministry was created, according to the Federal Minister for IT, and production got underway a few months later.
Minister announced that 70 new projects were initiated with an investment of $75 million. He noted that by 2019, 160 million people in the country were using mobile phones, which increased to 200 million by 2020.
Broadband access was available to 70 million people, which increased to 125 million by 2020. He also mentioned that 5 incubation centres were operating in major cities, which have now increased to 8. His focus is to promote startups, gaming, and the animation industry in the country.
Abdul Haseeb Khan, a former chairman and senator, emphasised the value of R&D in the IT industry and mentioned that startups are currently doing fantastic work.
Zubair Chhaya, deputy patron-in-chief of KATI, noted that although Pakistan’s production costs have increased significantly, the nation does not have the infrastructure necessary for startups.
IT exports hit a record high of $2.6 billion at the end of the previous fiscal year, up from $1 billion when Federal Minister assumed leadership.
Although it is encouraging that Pakistan’s IT exports have grown, Chhaya emphasised that the neighbouring nation’s revenues last year totaled $149 billion, which was significantly more than Pakistan’s.
Maheen Salman, the chair of the standing committee, stated during the event that their goal is to create professional educational institutions with curricula that match the requirements of the industry. In the past, a lot of people obtained degrees, but they had trouble getting jobs. Now, the goal is to offer professional training in accordance with the needs of the industry after consulting with it.
She continued by saying that while today’s startups were just ideas a year ago, they are now beginning to experience success.
Nighat Awan, senior vice president of KATI, asked the government to waive taxes on equipment and supplies used in the IT industry so that the nation’s IT sector could grow. Anwar Khan, Ahmed Uziar, and Hasan Syed, the founders of Pak Angels and Pakistan Espire, also spoke during the ceremony.