E-voting System To Facilitate Overseas Pakistani Expected Before Next Elections: Minister

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Syed Amin-Ul-Haq on Monday said e-voting system would be introduced by next election to ensure participation their maximum participation in general elections

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ):Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Syed Amin-Ul-Haq on Monday said e-voting system would be introduced by next election to ensure participation their maximum participation in general elections.

Addressing a gathering he said they would launch G-5 by end of next year, he reaffirmed adding that before this they have to increase the penetration of G-4 in the country which would pave the way for smooth launching of G-5.

The minister informed that the investment of Rs.22 billion had been made to increase the connectivity in the country, saying that the rural areas like Tharparkar, Rajapan, FATA, Dera Bugati had been prioritized for this purpose.

If everybody has Smartphone with 100 percent penetration of internet in the country, ultimately it would help to be successful, he believed recounting that as many as 180 million people have mobile and 90 million have access to broadband facility.

There is mobile manufacturing company which would ensure supply of mobile at cheap price of Rs.8000 to each person in the country, Amin-ul-Haq articulated, adding that they could not go ahead without the mobile.

It is vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to make Pakistan a digital country and they were already working on this, he reiterated, saying that they were working to introduce e-office system for 40 ministries.

Our party is liberal and progressive which always believed in empowerment of women in the country and in connection to this, 50 percent participation of women was being ensured in every sector, federal minister said.

Appreciating efforts taken by the women for establishing Sehat Kahani (SK), he said that it was great effort which would bring financial investment to Pakistan. Sharing his personal experience with Sehat Kahani, he informed that they found this app (SK) more supportive when they were in a need of this health facility.

They have converted the challenges during Covid-19 in the opportunities as it could help them to increase our exports especially IT sector, federal minister endorsed, saying that exports in IT sector registered a rise by 24 percent.

He said that they were political workers and believed in serving the nation without any discrimination on the basis of race, color or political affiliation, he added, saying that they became successful because the decisions were transparently taken on merit and observing zero-tolerance for the corruption.

Governor State Bank o f Pakistan (SBP), Dr.

Reza Baqir said that they were supporting the Initiative Startup like Telemedicine because it would promote innovations and also supported the empowerment of women in the country.

"We have reviewed some policies to support such things", he said adding, besides that it would also help to bring foreign investment to the country.

The fifth largest population of women is in the Pakistan and keeping this in view, SBP has developed a gender mainstreaming policy titled "Banking on Equality: Reducing the Gender in Financial Inclusion", he informed. The aim of this policy was to promote women financial inclusion in Pakistan, the Governor added.

Besides, SBP also asked the banking sector to identify the women having the potential of running the business and provided loans to them for establishing their own businesses in the country, Governor SBP said.

SBP was also coordinating with commercial banks to support women financial inclusion in the country and such things would enhance participation of women in the economy.

Elaborating the schemes launched by SBP for promoting innovations, Dr. Reza Baqir said SBP had launched cheap loans facilities and economic facilities scheme for 10 years. Apart from this, Roshan digital account was also launched and more than 100,000 had availed this facility so far, he further recounted.

Faster payment scheme was also launched within seconds and it would help take off use of cash, he added, reaffirming that it would also support to control corruption in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Co-founder a Sehat Kahani - a telemedicine startup, Dr Sara Saeed Khurum said Sehat Kahani began as a network to link home-based female doctors with patients through telemedicine-enabled brick and mortar health clinics.

It was established in 2017 by two female doctors, Sara Saeed Khurram and Iffat Zafar Aga. The aim was to use a network of nurse-assisted health clinics to link a large number of female doctors who were unable to practice medicine at a hospital or clinic because of family commitments with patients in underserved communities.

Since then, the startup has grown into a telemedicine platform that provides on-demand health services to patients across the country (and beyond) through web and mobile apps, as well as through its network of offline clinics staffed by 5,000 female doctors.

Since its launching, it has given more than 350,000 consultations, she claimed. It has also raised US $ one million in a Pre-Series, she added.