The government will unveil electronic voting machines in the next 8-10 days, announced Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz on Tuesday, adding that the new machine will be provided to the opposition and relevant stakeholders to allow for thorough testing.
Speaking to media persons in Islamabad, the federal minister said the machine would be user-friendly and would be able to function for two days after being charged.
“There is no chance of the votes going to waste through EVMs,” he said.
The science minister said that each EVM would cost around Rs65,000 to Rs80,000, while it could function in extreme temperatures — 55°C to -10°C — as well.
“There will be a paper ballot along with the electronic voting record […] the paper used for paper ballots can be utilised for a total period of five years,” he said.
In the coming days, we will be able to make 2,000 machines on a daily basis, he said, adding that the government is trying to make waterproof machines.
The minister said the government would test the EVMs in by-elections, while a total of 400,000 machines will be required for the general elections.
The science minister said he did not know much about ventilators earlier, but after he was briefed about it, he learned that the locally-developed ones did not meet international standards.
Talking about the government’s plans, he said 500,000 youngsters would be made familiar with the usage of modern technology — and once they are familiar with it, the government will help them get jobs abroad.
The National University of Sciences and Technology and COMSATS University Islamabad are among the three institutions working on the EVMS.
Separately, Faraz, while addressing at an international webinar on the “Role of Science and Technology Universities in Promoting National High-Tech Growth” at NUST, urged the universities to play their part in science and knowledge diplomacy.
He stated that universities were helping shift the focus of the world slowly but gradually from geopolitical competition to knowledge-based cooperation.
In today’s world, there is an urgent need to promote peace-enhancing diplomacy rather than diplomacy driven by war and conflict,” he added.
Shibli Faraz said that the government was keenly aware that the long-term growth of the country depended on the successful development of national systems of innovation and a mature knowledge economy based on a favourable economic and institutional regime, high-quality human resource development, multi-type innovation driven by science and technology, and promotion and utilisation of advanced information and communications technologies.
Prime Minister’s Task Force on Science and Technology Chairman Dr Attaur Rahman, shared his vision for improving the Science and Technology landscape of the country.
He said that innovation was transforming economies and a comprehensive S&T-based apparatus was a crucial determinant of long-run growth, competitive edge, and economic autarky of a state.
He stated that universities served as the critical nodes of new growth through their inherent diversity, dynamism and unmatched ability to introduce new ideas and talent.
Their key performance indicators must be the promotion of policy research and technological evolution of the production function of industry. The process may comprise scientific research, foresight exercises, and networking, combined with the direct and indirect facilitation of new industrial clusters like business and technology incubators, science and technology parks, high technology zones, and innovation areas.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation at the University of Surrey, UK, Professor David Sampson highlighted the crucial role of universities in national development.
While narrating several innovative success stories of the past and the achievements of his own institute, he underscored the significance of industry-academia linkages; production, encouragement and cultivation of top talent; emphasis on teamwork; and rational management of openness and secrecy issue of research.
He hoped that Pakistan utilised its vast and raw human resources through greater focus and spending in S&T-based pursuits.
NUST Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Pro-Rector Air Vice-Marshal (r) Dr Rizwan Riaz stressed the need for leveraging all channels of science and technology for high-tech national growth. Pakistan, in his view, is full of talent that should be nurtured and encouraged through better opportunities.
Problems such as brain drain, bureaucratic hurdles, and restricted import of tech-based goods and technologies should be addressed. He also pointed out the responsibility of the global north for the development of tech- and R&D-based human resources to ensure collective gains.
Dr Malcolm Parry, OBE, pointed out that in terms of capacity, the global population of university graduates was expected to nearly double over this decade and reach 300 million by 2030.
The levels of global investment in R&D tripled from $676 billion in 2000 to $2.0 trillion in 2018. Although the government is a major funder of research in many countries, it tends to be a minor performer in undertaking research.
He said national and international policy decisions sit at the heart of the win-win model for science and technology.
Outputs of the process can be anyways translated into commercial success by stimulating and supporting entrepreneurship among young people that pass through universities and help them create or find worthwhile employment by connecting science that includes Engineering, Technology, and Social Science, to a market.
He said that the role of scientific knowledge translators – including policymakers, analysts, engineers, business entrepreneurs, and sometimes scientists themselves – was crucial if their advances were to improve welfare.
This needs to be supported with policies that encourage investment and help drive technology entrepreneurship.
with additional input from APP
