Senate Body Dismayed over Dealy in Finalization of NITB Rules

The National Institute of Technology Board (NITB) is confronted with the major challenge of hiring human resource and retaining them, as remuneration packages are not up to the IT job market.
Executive Director National Institute of Technology Board (NITB) Nasir Naqvi said hiring human resource and retaining it is a major challenge for the organisation.

“If remuneration packages are not up to the IT job market, hiring competent and capable individuals would not be possible,”
Naqvi told a Sub-Committee of Senate Standing Committee on IT. The committee met here with Convener Senator Rubina Khalid in the chair.
The meeting was attended by Senator Kulsoom Parveen and senior officers of the Ministry of Information, National Institute of Technology Board (NITB), Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
The meeting commenced with a briefing of the NITB. Convener of the Committee Senator Rubina Khalid showed displeasure over the delay in finalisation of rules for NITB. She remarked that instead of facilitating information technology’s growth, which is key to Pakistan’s development, we are hindering its progress.

She added the draft of the rules was received from NITB bon July 1, 2015 and it was examined by the Minis
try of IT and Telecommunications to ensure all codal formalities and all legal requirements were fulfilled.
After detailed examination, the case was forwarded to Establishment Division on 15th July 2015. Since then the Establishment Division has raised a number of queries leading to inordinate delay in adoptin g these rules.
Executive Director Naqvi was of the view that hiring human resource and retaining it is a major challenge. He asserted that if remuneration packages are not as per the IT job market, the hiring of competent and capable individuals would not be possible.
Senator Kulsoom Parveen underlined the need to make NITB an autonomous body. Convenor of the Committee Senator Rubina Khalid said that she would push this case through both the Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications as well as this forum.
While discussing issues related to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Senator Rubina Khalid asserted that the Authority reviewed food supplements that are prescribed to gym-goers by trainers.
Senator Kulsoom Parveen said that it was imperative that this regulatory body reviewed medication closely and ensured that production of all substandard medication is stopped.