ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: The government should create conducive environment for the growth of e-commerce in the country by taking measures such as 50 per cent reduction in telecommunication tariff and provision of VoIP (Voice over Internet Phony) on the same terms as those prevailing in the UAE and Sri Lanka.

These views were expressed by participants, including bankers and IT experts, at a preparatory meeting on “e-commerce and e-banking readiness”. The meeting was jointly organized by the Information Technology and Telecom Division and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Saturday evening.

The science and technology minister, Prof (Dr) Attaur Rehman, who was the chief guest on the occasion, directed officials of the ministry to come up with solutions to the problems being faced by the banking sector regarding the development of e-commerce.

He said basic re-engineering was needed to address the core issues and, eventually, a plan or strategy should be envisaged to deal with such matters in the future.

“As more and more countries are shifting from manual transaction methods to e-commerce, training of the management, from top to bottom, in Pakistan, should be initiated with the support of the UNDP and other agencies,” the minister said.