KARACHI, Dec 14: Sindh Information Technology Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that efforts should be made at the grassroots level for advancement of IT at all levels.

He said a road-map for IT development should be prepared first with identification of priorities.

He was presiding over a departmental meeting held to review the progress made so far in the field of IT in Sindh.

The meeting reviewed the related developments during the last one years, which included mass IT training programme for 15,000 government employees, from grade 5 to 20.

It was informed that over 3,000 employees had completed training by October.

The meeting was told that an IT training programme had been launched for 2,000 students and jobless graduates, while advance IT training of 300 employees of secretariat departments had been completed in the first phase and another 300 were being trained under the second phase.

It was stated that 16 IT Resource and Community Internet Centres were being established in rural areas of Sindh, while two IT projects had been submitted to the federal government for launching portal websites for Sindh government and introduction of IT in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Nawabshah and Ghotki districts.

The meeting was informed that customised application of software for Planning and Development department had been done, while two campuses of the Virtual University of IT, were established at Sukkur and Ghotki, and three more were being set up at Nawabshah, Jacobabad and Badin.

Proposed IT University in Korangi would become functional by June-July, 2004, and a summary had been sent to the chief minister for release of funds in this connection, it was added.

The meeting was informed that a proposal had been submitted to the federal government for establishment of IT centres at the mono-technical colleges at Latifabad, Orangi Town and Tando Allahyar.

The meeting was informed that technical support had been provided to governor’s secretariat at the Governor’s House, Excise and Taxation Department, Board of Revenue, Sindh Public Service Commission, Mines and Mineral Development Department, Planning and Development Department, City District Government, Education and Literacy Department, and to the Finance and Cooperation Department. —APP