[Reader-list] Info-tech programmes to focus on poverty alleviation

[Zubair Faisal Abbasi]

Info-tech programmes to focus on poverty alleviation

The News International

Saturday June 30, 2001

http://jang.com.pk

ISLAMABAD: The Information Technology Division has been undergoing an
exercise of prioritizing those programmes which can contribute to poverty
alleviation efforts in the country.

Sources said that priority is being given to job-specific and

need-oriented programmes and those programme will be focussed which can
greatly contribute to poverty alleviation in the country. In this regard,
Minister for Science and Technology Professor Atta-ur-Rehman has set up a
subcommittee to come forward with new programmes based on national needs
which have the potential to make maximum impact on society.

The committee will submit its recommendations after making a survey of
existing situation, further requirements in the field and after taking input
from other related persons and organisations. As a result of human resource
development programmes launched by the ministry in the year 2000-2001 supply
side has been considerably strengthened, sources said and added that the
required infrastructure is also in place. Now Pakistani companies are in a
much better position to accomplish big foreign contracts.

The civil society organisations are also showing interest in the area of IT
and access of rural and poor community to it. An NGO with the name of E-Poor
(Electronic Poor) has begun its work and was looking into various aspects
like digital divide and demand side of the information technology and its
applications.

To realise the promises of IT for an equitable socio-economic growth for
poverty alleviation and opportunity generation, it is required to balance
and work on the demand side of IT needs, said and expert at E-Poor.

It is interesting to note that sometimes the way development information
portals categorise and classify information is not the way poor need,
discuss, process and access information. What can be a very relevant
suggestion here is to include the participatory role of community "key
informants." These key informants are perceived as reliable source of verbal
information at the community levels and their potentials can be harnessed
for community Information Points (IT kiosks), said Zubair Faisal Abbassi,
project director of ePoor.org. -APP

[end]

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