Dr Umar Saif distributes money saved for iPhone X as Eidi among PITB employees

LAHORE – Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) chairman Dr Umar Saif has set an example by giving Eidi to PITB’s employees from money saved for his iPhone X.

Dr Saif, on Saturday,  tweeted:  “I saved one lakh rupee to buy new iPhone X on this Eid, but someone in my office said, "Sir where’s our Eidi (A gift money)" and at that time I decided to distribute this money among 200 PITB staffers.”

https://twitter.com/umarsaif/status/1005392980088369152

"The purpose of sharing this story is not to show off but to encourage others," Umar added.

https://twitter.com/umarsaif/status/1005396611533549568

Saif had been appointed as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair for using Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD).

Dr Umar Saif, who is overlooking all public sector IT projects in the country’s most populous province, is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge University. He is the first Pakistani to be named as one of the top 35 innovators in the world by MIT Technology Review (TR35) in 2011, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010.

Saif is also the only Pakistani who has received the Google Faculty Research Award, Mark Weiser Award, MIT Technovator Award and Microsoft Research Digital Inclusion Award. He was also awarded the British Council Outstanding Alumni Award in 2017.

He was bestowed the Sitara-e-Imtiaz by Pakistan Government in 2014 and has been named among the most influential Muslims in the world in 2014-2018.