The federal government has sought Rs20 billion for the next fiscal year to improve the country’s cybersecurity and manage social media. According to the proposal, the government will only allow social media platforms to operate if they establish local offices.
The Ministry of Information Technology has demanded Rs20 billion for the Digital Information Infrastructure Initiative (DIII) in the 2024-25 fiscal year budget, according to government sources who spoke to The Express Tribune.
The Express Tribune requested comments from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Information Technology, but they did not respond. Government sources also revealed that Rs15 billion has already been allocated as a technical supplementary grant to the information technology ministry for the current fiscal year.
However, the total cost of the DIII project, which is equipped with Chinese technology, is Rs38 billion. The government is spending a significant amount this year, and the remaining amount has been requested for the next fiscal year.
