LAHORE: A delegation led by Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank Group Ms. Keiko Honda in a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here Saturday expressed willingness to assist in investment in healthcare system and industrial parks in Punjab.
She said the Punjab province under the leadership of Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had made splendid achievements in different sectors and the measures taken in health, education, industries and other sectors were commendable.
She added that close cooperation would be extended to the Punjab government for increasing investment in different sectors.
The Chief Minister told the delegation that Pakistan’s economy was strengthened due to effective policies of the government and foreign exchange reserves had reached at a record level.
In energy sector, he mentioned that besides traditional methods, power generation projects were being carried out expeditiously for energy production through alternate sources. Thousands of megawatts electricity would be added to national grid with the completion of energy projects by the end of next year, he added.
Shehbaz said agriculture, industry and other sectors would develop due to increase in power production and the rate of annual development would increase by two per cent. The government, he said, was also working on power projects with its own resources. The federal and Punjab governments were speedily implementing projects of generation of electricity through gas, he added.
He said the completion of gas-based power projects of 3600 megawatts would result in availability of cheap electricity to the masses. Work was continuing round the clock on 1320 megawatts coal power plant in Sahiwal, he added.
The Chief Minister said a huge sum of Rs 112 billion had been saved on gas power projects by adopting the highest standard of transparency. He said load-shedding would be overcome to a large extent by the end of next year.
Shehbaz Sharif said political and military leadership were on one page for eliminating the menace of terrorism and extremism and operation Zarb-e-Azb had broken the back of terrorists. Brave armed forces had achieved splendid successes in the operation Zarb-e-Azab. Rooting out of terrorists was essential for achieving the targets of socio-economic development, he added.
About social sector, the chief minister said the Punjab government had introduced a number of reforms for the improvement of education, health and other social sectors and record resources had been provided for the purpose during the current fiscal year.
He said he personally reviewed implementation of reforms programme in education, health and social sectors. A large portion of Pakistan’s population comprised youth and provision of vocational training to them for their empowerment was a big challenge. The government had evolved a programme to make two million youth skillful during next two years and technical assistance of World Bank for this programme would be welcomed, he added.
He said metro bus projects were running successfully in Lahore and Islamabad-Rawalpindi while metro bus project in Multan was in final stages of completion. He said the provision of modern transport facilities to the masses was the priority of the government. He said that Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project was also being implemented speedily.
He said the government had eliminated child labour from brick kilns and the children working in brick kilns had been enrolled in schools by giving them scholarships. A conducive atmosphere for investment had been created in Punjab, he added.
The Chief Minister said that private sector had also been provided favourable conditions for business. He said hospitals were being upgraded in Punjab for extending modern treatment facilities to the masses. The first apparel park of the country was being set up near motorway, he added.
He said that MIGA should consider setting up a separate institution for financing industrial sector development.
Provincial ministers Rana Mashhood Ahmad, Zakiya Shahnawaz, Asif Saeed Manais, Advisor Dr Ijaz Nabi, Chief Secretary, Chairman Planning and Development, secretaries concerned, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Senior Vice President Almas Haider and senior officers were also present.
