Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that maximum financial and professional support to the youth was inevitable to exploit their immense potential in information technology which could also guarantee the county’s prosperity.
The prime minister, addressing the launching ceremony of PM’s Freelancer and Venture Capital Initiative, and National Innovation Award Investor Connect, said the network of incubation centers needed to be spread across the country by carving out maximum funding keeping in view the country’s future.
He said considering the talent and importance of the IT, Rs 2 billion allocated for the venture capital was just “peanuts”, though it was scraped by the government despite financial constraints.
The prime minister was “taken aback” as he visited the stalls and was briefed about the innovative projects prepared by the youngsters, including drones for agriculture purposes, IT-led medical systems, and usage of banana peels for different products.
“I really salute all of you,” he remarked and particularly lauded Sahar Munir, a girl from Naushki for her vision and ideas to promote the IT sector.
He said the network of incubation centres should have been spread countrywide some 10 years ago and recalled the establishment of such a center at the Arfa Karim Tower in 2009 by him while being the Punjab chief minister.
“This is the untapped talent across Pakistan which we have to own. This is our responsibility to arrange trainings and provide maximum funding,” he said and called for holding similar innovation award ceremonies in other parts of the country.
He said the funding for the IT endowment fund should be increased by billions annually to capacitate the youngsters, and support their research and development.
Prime Minister Shehbaz, who earlier launched the initiatives and gave away awards among top 10 winners of the second round National Innovation Award, also instructed the formulation of a coordinated mechanism and a policy framework for the IT sector for onward cabinet approval so that the interim government could carry the projects forward without any impediment.
He said the whatsoever party forms the next government, they should facilitate the IT sector, which, if supported for next five years, could bring in billions of dollars to the country.—APP
