IT ministry fails to win cabinet’s nod

The federal cabinet has refused to accord its approval to the implementation mechanism established for the Digital Information Infrastructure Initiative to protect cyberspace and mitigate the risks associated with cyber-attacks. The project is being launched with an allocation of Rs5 billion out of information and communication technology (ICT) research and development (R&D) funds as bridge financing. This is a one-off exemption granted for spending money out of the ICT R&D funds. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication recently tabled a plan to approve the Digital Information Infrastructure Initiative and its implementation mechanism. However, a cabinet member argued that the IT ministry should not bring issues pertaining to procurement before the cabinet. Therefore, the cabinet approved the initiative but stayed away from giving its nod for the implementation mechanism.