ISLAMABAD - The government in Monday’s National Assembly proceedings presented ‘the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill’ aims to transform Pakistan into a digitally empowered nation by fostering a dynamic digital society, a robust digital economy, and efficient digital governance.
The bill, presented by Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, recognizes the potential of digital technologies to drive innovation, economic growth and societal well-being. It seeks to accelerate sustainable development, enhance public service delivery, and modernize governance for improved transparency and effectiveness. According to the bill, presented at the fag end of the proceedings, government entities the National Digital Commission (NDC), Strategic Oversight Committee (SOC) and the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) will be formed.
The National Digital Commission (NDC), the bill says, will be chaired by the premier and comprising federal and provincial leadership. It will set the strategic vision and policy framework for the country’s digital transformation. Likewise, the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) will implement these policies by coordinating and harmonising digital initiatives across all levels of government. The SOC monitors the PDA’s performance and provides an independent review to the NDC ensuring alignment with the master plan. According to bill the National Digital Commission will provide a comprehensive strategy for aligning and optimsing digital initiatives, eliminating redundancies across federal, provincial and local levels, and driving economic growth through enhanced public service delivery.
Earlier, the house was informed that Pakistan Railways [PR] registered record earnings of 87.5 billion rupees during the last financial year. Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Muhammad Usman Awaisi, responding to a question during the Question-Hour, said that it became possible through implementation of financial restructuring plans aimed at reducing operational costs, optimizing revenue generation and improving financial discipline. Awaisi said passenger fare and freight tariffs have been indexed with fuel price. He said commercial management of thirteen trains has been outsourced for better efficiency and earning. He said Pakistan Railways has developed long-term strategic plans to revitalize the rail sector, improve service quality, enhance safety standards and ensure sustainability in revenue generation. He said up-gradation of ML-1, which is a rail link between Karachi and Peshawar, will increase the line’s capacity from thirty-four to one hundred and twenty trains per day. He said eighty new high-capacity freight wagons and thirty-two passenger AC standard coaches will also be inducted this year to increase the revenue.