ISLAMABAD (SPECIAL REPORT )
Information & Telecom Ministry issued notification with changes in rules to get fund from Moit to FCP. After this action the control of Moit is finished. Universal Service Fund will be able to get the money back from Ministry of Finance when and if it ever requires.
Experts, on other hands, consider this is a theft from telecom industry and that USF money – which telecom operators pay for the development of telecom service in far-flung areas of Pakistan – will never be recovered. They said that disbursements of funds to USF will take ages due to tiring procedural requirements in the government sector.
It merits mentioning here that previous government had also considered moving the USF money to National Consolidated Fund.
It maybe recalled that USF money, which is over Rs. 50 billion now, is collected from telecom operators equalling 1.5 percent of their yearly revenues. This money is then used by the USF to deploy telecom services in far-flung and rural areas of the country by subsidizing the infrastructure.
Telecom companies are likely to react on the move and possibility for challenging the decision in courts can’t be ruled out.
The copy of notification as fallows……..
TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT GAZETTE
OF PAKISTAN EXTRAORDINARY PART-II
Government of Pakistan
M in istry of f nformation Tech nology
(IT & Telecom Division) *******
lslamabad, the 29th June, 20-‘.3
NOTIFICATION
In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (ab) of Sub Section (2) of section 57 of the pakist;n
Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act 1996, XVll of 1996 read with Section 33-D thereof, the Feder :l
government is pleased to make the following amendments in the Rules for administering and managir ,q
the Research & Development Fund, namely:-
(A) R&D Fund Rules:
Existing Rule-3(1): Existing Rule 3(1) shall be substituted by the following:
“The R&D Fund shall be kept in the FederalConsolidated Fund and the Ministry of Finance sh;’l
release funds of the R&D Fund, .in accordance with the procedure laid down in
through budgetary mechanism”
The Manager,
Printing Corporation of Pakistan Press,
Karachi.
Copy to:
L. PSO to Federal Minister for Science & Technology
2. PSO to Minister of State for Information Technology
3. PS to Secretary Cabinet Division
4. _PS to Secretary Finance
‘,,e PS to Secretary lT
6. PS to Secretary Law
7. PS to Member Legal
8. PS to Member Telecom
[Fife No. l-toL/2004-Dir (legal).]
TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT GAZETTE
OF PAKISTAN EXTRAORDINARY PART-II
Government of Pakistan
Ministry of Information Technology
(IT & Telecom Division)
*******
lslamabad, the 29th June, 20i 3
NOTIFICATION
fn exercise of the powers conferred by clause (ab) of Sub Section (21 of section 57 of the Pakist;’:r
Telecommunicatioq(Re-organisationlAct 1996, XVllof 1996 read with Section 33-A thereof, the Federr!
Government is pleased to m’ake the following amendments in the Rules for administering and managil ,3
the Universal Service Fund, namely:-
(A) USF Rules 2006:
(1) Rule-3(21: Existing Rules 3(2) shall be substituted by the following:
“The USF shall be kept in the Federal Consolidated Fund and the Ministry of Finane
shall release funds of the USF, in accordance with the procedure laid down in the:
Rules, through budgetary mechanism”.
Rule-8(1):
Rule 8(1) shall be omitted and subsequent sub-rules shall be renumbered as sub-ru
and sub-rule (2) respectively.
The Manager,
Printing Corporation of Pakistan Press,
Karachi.
Copy to:
L. PSO to Federal Minister for Science & Technology
2. PSO to Minister of State for Information Technology
3. PS to Secretary Cabinet Division
4. -PS to Secretary Finance
t { PS to Secretary lT
6. PS to Secretary Law
7. PS to Member Legal
8. ?S to Member Telecom
[File No. t-to!z004-Dir (legal).]