| Underscores importance of digitalization | Reviews progress on President’s Initiative on Cyber Efficient Parliament
By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi Friday emphasized the need for accelerating the process of the digital transformation of parliament by equipping it with the latest IT tools to make it more efficient.
The president, chairing a meeting on President’s Initiative on Cyber Efficient Parliament, asked the authorities concerned to prioritize the deliverables of the project and take timely decisions to avoid any further delay.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman Senate, Mirza Muhammad Afridi and other senior officials of the government. The Steering Committee of the Project updated the meeting on the current status of the project and various processes involved in it.
It was informed that the Committee had seriously been working to implement the project within a given time frame.
Underscoring the importance of the project, the president said that e-solutions would significantly enhance the efficiency of parliament as well as help in the quick disposal of the legislative business.
He stated that steps were being taken for the digital transformation of the government departments to bring transparency and improve governance and responsiveness of the government institutions.
Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi Thursday while calling for promotion of information technology, artificial intelligence and virtual learning, said the future development of the nations was linked with the swift adoption of modern technology. The president, while addressing the Pakistan Innovate Conference and National Idea Bank Grand Finale, also emphasized bridging the technology gap and advised the youth to ensure positive use of the social media.
He said the artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution were the bases for future development of the nations.
The president urged the universities to multiply the number of their enrollment to feed the local as well as the international market.
Referring to the available modern tools like Zoom and others, the president said in modern era, the massive knowledge and data existed in clouds accessible to all even beyond human consumption.
Even he said the digital information tools were also challenging the formal educational structures as currently, everyone could get education while being at home. Even 80% dentistry could be learnt virtually, he added.
The president said the development in this hi-tech era did not require any huge investment rather small startups could outshine the giants.
He said though Pakistan had lagged behind the race of technology, however, the country could join the league by nurturing ideas coming through the National Ideas Bank.
Citing Pakistan’s youth bulge, the president said many countries wanted to absorb tech graduates from the market which necessitated the universities to increase the number of their students.
He said by 2030, the world would need around 80 million cyber security experts for it being a subject of modern day warfare.
