NA body briefed about ongoing IT projects

ISLAMABAD, Jan 24 (APP): National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications on Tuesday was briefed about ongoing projects under the ministry and its attached departments and organizations.
The committee met here under the chairmanship of Capt. (Retd)
Muhammad Safdar.
Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications Anusha Rehman briefed the committee that in the ministry of IT, the E-office was fully functional and it aimed to establish e-system in the entire ministry to improve the efficiency.
She said PC-1 had been completed for a project worth  Rs 600 million under which all the ministries would get computers. In  current year certification of 21 information companies would get  completed. Committee decided to visit different Ministries/Divisions  and Prime Minister Secretariat to examine the installation of E-filing project in near future.
MNA Awais Leghari expressed reservations over the performance of Universal Service Fund (USF) and said that committee should be informed about the spending of this fund’s budget.
Secretary IT Rizwan Bashir briefed the committee about PSDP ongoing and proposed projects for the financial year 2017-18.
“Special Communication Organization (SCO)s projects are Construction of cross-boarder OFC system between China and Pakistan worth US $Rs 44 million dollars, Replacement of GSM network of AJ&k Rs 1439.00 millio, Expansion and up gradation of NGMS service and seamless coverage along KKH 2995.00 million and Migration of Existing Power system to hybrid power solution Rs 550.000 million.
DG SCO Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa told the committee that “we will be needed 3.7 billion for all upcoming development projects and the Fiber Opitc connectivity is the prime need for these very projects”.
In the first phase FOC would be installed from Khunjrab to Rawalpindi and in next phase FOC would be installed from Rawalpindi to Gawadar.
The committee was attended by Members National Assembly Mian Muhammad Farooq, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Shazia Farid, Amjid Ali Khan, Engineer Dawar Khan Kundi, Syed Ali Raza Abidi, Shahjehan Muneer Mangrio and Ch. Muhammad Tufail besides the Minister of State and senior officers from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication with their staff.