IT Board digitised only 10 government departments, failed to establish IT parks, says report PESHAWAR: The Auditor General’s report for 2021-22 has termed the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) disappointing in its efforts to digitise government departments.
The audit revealed that the IT Board was able to digitise only 10 departments — including Higher Education and Local Government — within the allotted time despite receiving more than Rs40 million in subsidies for IT companies.
The report also stated that KPITB failed to meet its objective of setting up IT parks in the province.
In Peshawar’s IT Park, 57 companies were registered in 2015, but the number fell to 26 by 2021.
Similarly, Abbottabad’s IT Park saw no growth as the number of registered companies remained stagnant at 16 from 2015 to 2021. The report noted that company revenues declined from Rs570 million in 2017 to Rs289 million by 2021.
The audit added that while the board had set an annual growth target of 35% for IT companies, lack of management interest hindered progress. It also failed to meet its goal of increasing IT exports by 25% each year.
The report further highlighted that the board could not develop an app for timely payments and recoveries, resulting in losses to institutions and the public exchequer.
It also found that training contracts for tribal youth were awarded to a company owned by the board’s former managing director, while illegal appointments of directors and deputy directors caused financial losses amounting to Rs90 million.
The audit recommended digitisation of all government departments to improve transparency and ensure timely decision-making. It also called for merit-based appointments in the IT board and a joint investigation to identify those responsible for making the board ineffective.
