ISLAMABAD
Universal Services Fund Company (USF) Policy Committee meeting, Tuesday, approved the annual budget of worth approximately 14 billion of USF for the financial year 2017-2018.
USF Policy Committee meeting is the management forum for the USF, which was convened on Tuesday in the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom under the chair the Minister of State for IT & Telecom Anusha Rahman.
The meeting approved the annual budget of Universal Service Fund Company for the Financial Year 2017-2018 which is provided through the Fund, was approved.
This Meeting was attended by IT Secretary Rizwan Bashir Khan, Member Telecom Mudassar Hussain and other senior officials from the Ministry of Information Technology, Finance and Cabinet Division. The senior management of USF also attended the meeting.
The budget of USF for the FY 2017-2018 is approximately 14 billion. This budget predominately goes to broadband for a sustainable development project for provision of broadband and telephony services to the majority of the unserved/underserved areas in FATA, KPK and Baluchistan provinces, said Ministry of IT & Telecom.
During the course of the meeting, USF authorities also apprised the minister that digitisation of public sector girls’ school of Islamabad Capital Territory was being pursued rigorously on a priority basis and all 226 girls schools would be provided digital labs and Microsoft digital skills training by November 30, of this year positively.
Anusha stated that the government attaches the highest priority to this project. She also directed the USF CEO to complete this project within the stipulated time period and to also the complete hiring of 200 teachers on merit.
It is pertinent to mention that MoIT is well on course to meet the target of covering all villages with 100 population by 2018.
