Harbouring entrepreneurial approach
By Technology Times at July 17, 2011 | 8:26 pm | PrintA- Reset A+
IT GOES with saying that India has a wider edge on Pakistan in terms of technology industry’s growth volume and established itself globally the thrust has been on service delivery which is core of its policy. One of the factors dictating the next phase of growth of the Indian technology industry is, of course, innovation and creation of frontier technologies. Pakistan is yet to set the ball rolling as the government has not taken on wider level an initiative to involve IT brains as well as encourage innovations and proposals from the private sector in an exercise initiated to get IT growth. Most recently, the private sector on its own has taken an initiative in this regard by rolling out a Rs 20 million “Social Innovative Fund” of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA). Objectives of this Google-funded initiative are a new beginning of reaping the associated business, entrepreneurship and social benefits of this exponential ICT infrastructure of Pakistan. It is a good gesture that the Google has avoided attaching its name with the P@SHA project only on the ground that the company does not want to limit scope of this initiative only to Google; it should grow and more and more people should participate in it. The fund will invest in innovation-driven startup companies in various related sectors regardless of age limit, area of expertise and qualification, and encourage entrepreneurship. The initiative has been widely welcomed both from the government and private sectors and assured their maximum support to it, which is no doubt is a good omen especially for the growth of IT sector in the country. P@SHA head Jehan Ara looks certain in saying that her firm’s project will soon be able to get some creative juices flowing, spark the beginnings of a few unique solutions, finance some great ideas and provide mentoring to young people who have the passion, the talent and the motivation to make a social impact on our society. With this positive move on the part of a local software house, the government also needs to come up with an extensive initiative where all IT related people, academia and researchers could pool their innovations, ideas, researches and proposals. This would not only help in encouraging innovations from the government sector but also the private would get inclined to this rising sector which has already proven its potential in terms of global revolution in almost all sectors.
