Provide internet access to far-flung Balochistan, Sindh areas: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday chaired a meeting to improve internet coverage and access in the country and directed the concerned authorities to ensure the provision of the facility to students in far-flung and underdeveloped areas of the country, ARY NEWS reported.

The meeting headed by the prime minister was attended by federal ministers Aminul Haque, Shafqat Mahmood, secretary IT, chairman PTA, and other officials.

The meeting was briefed on the steps taken to ensure the provision of internet facilities in underdeveloped areas of the country.

“Access to the internet has become a necessity in the ongoing era,” he said and added that it is necessary for the young generation to utilize the facility to improvise their capabilities.

He said that wide and easy accessibility of the internet was important across the country to ensure access to students to better educational facilities.

The prime minister also directed the authorities to ensure the provision of a cheap and easily accessible internet facility to the schools.

Imran Khan directed to form a committee comprising of ministers from finance, production, planning and development, information technology, and education departments to mull over and implement the strategy.

Special focus should be given for providing internet facilities to far-flung areas of the country especially those in Balochistan and Sindh provinces.

The Universal Service Fund (USF) officials briefed the meeting over its projects planned for two years and their implementation mechanism. “We are giving special attention to laying down optic fibre and had already laid down 1800 kilometers of optic fibre in Balochistan and KP areas,” the meeting was briefed.

It was informed that fibre optic would be laid down in 547 union councils of the country spanning over 4600 kilometers during the ongoing year.