The government will invest in various fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to nurture, develop, and promote the use of IT in organizations, to increase their efficiency and productivity. The strategies focus on promotion of venture capital industry 
through incentives, recognition of software development as a priority industry for financing by the banks and DFIs, creation of investment friendly environment, building investors' confidence and changes in rules to allow the technology companies to be listed on stock exchanges of Pakistan.


IT promotion & awareness

A massive IT promotion and awareness campaign would be undertaken. The national strategy includes provision of continued support and funds by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) for the participation in world IT/ computer trade fairs, exchange of 
delegations, posting of IT specialists in embassies and consulates, promotion of IT use by the head of the government, ministers, and all other key figures who can influence public opinion at all public and private forums, declaration of the next 
fiscal year as 'IT Year' and organization of special events during the current year including national and international exhibitions.


IT Usage

To embark on an aggressive program to improve efficiency and provide quality services to the citizens of Pakistan, IT would be inducted at all levels of government. Key projects thus launched would include Government Online, Electronic Governance Project and E-Commerce Network. 


Legislation

To provide protection and enhance the confidence of users, providers, and facilitators of information services, legislation based on the recommendations of the working group comprising IT and legal experts would be framed. Action in the areas of Digital Signature Act, Intellectual Property & Copyright Act and the Consumer Protection Act, has been started. The government should seek legislative approval of changes to statutes that will encourage electronic commerce and revise statutes that mandate a paper-based or manual process.


Regulations

A regulatory framework is essential to avoid violating policy goals and direction. It would be ensured that excessive regulations do not stifle industry investment and growth. In devising a useful regulatory framework, the focus would be on creating a fair, equitable and competitive environment, based on the principles of free market and open access. 

The IT Action Plan is an integral part of the IT policy. The Action Plan provides a framework for implementation of the IT Policy which includes priority areas, specific projects that can be conceptualised, formulated, assessed, prioritised and implemented. The implementation of the Action Plan is very much dependent on the funding provision for the IT & tele- communications division and the mechanism from project approval to funds release so that projects could be implemented in a timely fashion to achieve the desirable results in the shortest span of time. A separate mechanism for expeditious project appraisal by experts' committees, approval and funding under National Scientific and Technological Research and Development Management Fund has been developed and would be submitted separately to the cabinet for approval.

The main allocation of funds has been foreseen for training, re-training, human resource development and provisioning of enabling infrastructure. There are a host of other incentives, which could be done at low or no cost, which include changes in 
governmental processes, legislation, administrative elements, incentives and rules. Some of these have already been submitted to the relevant quarters for approval whereas others are in the pipeline. A system of monitoring, surveying and compiling statistics on the extent and growth of the IT sector will also be devised to provide reliable data for planning and evaluation purposes and to set up performance indicators. The IT Action Plan will be implemented according to its well-defined phased targets and objectives. To ensure that the plan meets its objectives consistently and that suitable midcourse corrections can be incorporated in a timely manner, a mechanism will be set up involving the government, private sector, academia and other national representatives to coordinate and implement the policy and plan elements and provide strategic supervision over the longer term. The IT Policy and Action Plan being a dynamic document, would be subjected to formal review under this mechanism every six months, with more area-specific monitoring carried out on a monthly basis.