House committee seeks clarity on IT development

KATHMANDU:

The Development Committee of the Legislature-Parliament, on Sunday, directed the government to make it clear on which ministry is responsible for the development of the IT sector in the country.

The instruction comes at a time when there has been a dispute between the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MoSTE) regarding the ownership of IT component.

Citing that if one ministry is solely responsible then development initiatives will be more focused, the committee directed MoIC to clear the issue by coordinating with MoSTE. After Sunday’s meeting with Nepal Telecommunications Authority and its licensees, the parliamentary committee has also instructed the telecom authority to make interconnection between telecom companies easy and cheap.

Similarly, the committee has directed the government to devise a plan for basic infrastructure development which will make telecom services available by focusing on schools, village development committees, hospitals and rural market areas.

NTA and Nepal Telecom have been directed to do the needful to bring a provision to provide voice, data and television services from a single cable by six months. Similarly, it has directed all six telecom companies to submit detailed work plans within 15 days to the committee.

Source: THT