FOSS in South Asia - Part 2

Part- 2. Pakistan Brings Nation Closer To Realization
To take FOSS efforts to the next level in Pakistan, the Government initiated a project worth Rs29 million titled “Open Source Resource Center” (OSRC) [here] was established at the through the Ministry of IT’s [here] implementation arm the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) [here] in January 2004 in Islamabad to facilitates stake holders and investors in the software industry, should they decide to shift their businesses from vendor-dependent proprietary software to open source software technology. It aims to create a culture of open source software use in Pakistan through media awareness and training workshops, and act as a virtual community for experts in this field.
The “Automation of Domestic Industry on Open Source Systems” project has developed Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software developed using Java and POSTGreSQL database for four industrial sectors and introduced the automation culture in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with a developmental budget of over Rs60 million. The requirement specification documents of the Industrial Automation Project were also made open for the public and OSRC plans to include the source code of these projects on source forge in the near future. This project will also be creating jobs by promoting FOSS development in the country, and help local software companies acquire FOSS knowledge and experience as well as help in combating software piracy and bridge the gap between the local industry and software companies.
The following industrial sectors were selected for the development of business process automation software:
- All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA).
- Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers
(PAAPAM). - Pakistan Ready-made Garments and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) and
Pakistan Hosiery Mills Association (PHMA). - Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP).
The project status can be reviewed [here]

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