Punjab spending Rs 4 billion in IT sector

LAHORE: The provincial government is spending Rs 4 billion in the IT sector during the current fiscal to make Punjab a hub of information technology.

The amount will be utilized for completion of 14 development schemes including nine going and five new projects. The ongoing schemes wil be accomplished at Rs 14.78 million and Rs 6.79 million would be spent on new programmes, official sources told APP on Sunday.

They maintained that a modern multi-storey Technology Park was already functioning besides developing an IT infrastructure and database centre to connect government departments and districts for governance with each other through a common gateway. Incubator centres for IT firms to provide training are also on the cards. Another programme for manpower development for latest tools and technology and IT awareness will also be launched during the year.

Other schemes to be completed during 2012-13 include integration for projects with centralised data centre, computerisation of counter terrorism department etc. Completion of the projects, sources said, will help enhance domestic and foreign investment in the IT sector through collaboration of noted firms like Oracle, Microsoft, Intel and IBM.