(a) whether he attended the second SAARC Communication Ministers` Conference held in Islamabad;
(b) if so, the salient features thereof;
(c) whether any stress had been laid on setting up of a task force to continuously monitor and map the development in the communication sector;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the time by which it is likely to be set up alongwith the proposed composition of task force?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (DR. SHAKEEL AHMAD)
(a) Yes, Sir.
(b) The salient features of second SAARC Communications Minister`s Conference held in Islamabad are as below.
I Task Force to be established for working on indicators of performance of telecom sector (proposed by India)
II Adopted a new Telecommunication Action Plan 2004 to foster the development of telecommunication services in the region which appear to be lagging viz-a- viz the other countries in the Asia Pacific Region.
III The Conference also adopted a common position for presenting during the World Summit on Information Society (Phase II, Tunisia in 2005)
IV Offer of fellowship/ scholarship for training to SARC officials at the Telecom Training Institutes in India.
V Hosting of the Working Group Meeting on telecommunications/ICT in the second half of 2004 (proposed by India)
VI Holding of the Third Communications Ministers` Conference in Delhi in the first quarter of 2005 (Proposed by India)
VII As per the suggestion of the Member countries, it was agreed to hold an exhibition of telecom and IT in India as a sideline activity during the next SAARC Conference of communication Ministers.
(c) Yes, Sir.
(d) & (e) During this conference Hon`ble MOC&IT has suggested to constitute a task force to, inter alia, monitor and map the developments in the communication sector among the SAARC member countries. This could perhaps be set up under the SAARC Secretariat.