For the next fiscal year, thirty-three IT and telecommunications programmes totalling more than Rs. 5.480 billion have been planned.
These projects include 31 existing and two new schemes for which the Government of Pakistan would give Rs. 4,438.696 million, while foreign aid will provide Rs. 1,042 million.
Allocations have also been recommended for the protection and upgrade of the Pak China OFC project, smart offices, standardisation of the IT industry, Technology Park development project, upgrade of existing TDM, upgrade of the transmission network, and replacement of optical fibre cable in GB and AJK.
According to the budget document, Rs. 100 million has been suggested for IT professional certification through the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and Rs. 80 million has been recommended for the Crime Analytics and Smart Policing project.
Rs. 50 million has been recommended for demand-driven industry, while Rs. 179 million has been earmarked for the building of a data centre to provide cloud-based services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
The government has also set aside Rs. 243 million to build the Sino-Pak Centre of Artificial Intelligence. A Rs. 200 million budgets have been suggested to expand internet services in AJK and GB. Rs. 100 million and Rs. 300 million have been recommended for the extension of cellular services in AJK and GB, respectively, as well as phase 3 and high skill boot camp in Islamabad and Karachi.
The nationwide expansion of National Incubation Centres (NICs) across Pakistan and the national freelancing programme are each projected to cost Rs. 80 million. Furthermore, the government has suggested Rs. 20 million for one patient, one ID, and Rs. 102 million for project monitoring and the digital transformation cell.
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