our correspondent
Karachi
Ignite National Technology Fund–Ministry of IT & Telecom, organized a 3-day Civic Tech Hackathon from Nov 30 to Dec 02 2018 at National Incubation Center (NIC) Karachi in a bid to create solutions to meet challenges faced by the citizens of Karachi in areas such as, water access & quality, smart waste & sewage management, mobility & transportation, public safety and other citizen services.
Federal Minister For IT & Telecom, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was the Chief Guest of the prize distribution ceremony. The Minister congratulated Ignite – National Technology Fund and partner organizations for extending their support in putting together this platform to the youth for creating solutions to meet civic challenges that this megacity faces today. With a population of around 15 million, Karachi is the 9th largest city in the world. In terms of livability, Karachi is ranked at 134th among 140 cities on Global Livability Index of Economist Intelligence Unit.
The event brought together civic-minded IT professionals, software developers, designers and data analysts to innovate in public services by creating technology solutions to address the needs of fellow citizens.The World Bank country head expressed interest in funding a couple of promising ideas alongside Nazim Central District Rehan Hashmi during the hackathon.
Total prize money worth PKR 300,000 were distributed among winners. Earlier, speaking at the occasion Yusuf Hussain CEO Ignite said “Civic Hackathons allow smart people out there to help local Government solve its problems.”
