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PR. No. 152 Ministry of Population Welfare will arrange various kinds of activities in connection with the celebration of World Population Day at federal as well as provincial level which is commemorated on 11th of July every year. The theme for World Population Day for the year 2008 as (“It is a right, let’s make it real”). Funds have been released to the provincial departments of Population to conduct the activities at districts and tehsil level to mobilize and involve the communities for having smaller family. These activities would be included seminars, Talk Shows, discussions through print and electronic media by involving the community people at grassroots level. Ministry of Population Welfare will issue a special edition of monthly “Abadinama” and hold a national convention in the auditorium of Nation Library, Islamabad where renowned scholars will address the convention. The speech contests and sports activities would be arranged in the backdrop of population and development in the educational institutions by involving the younger generation in this important national cause. SA/AR.
PR. No. 153. Syed Naveed Qamar thanked members of Senate Standing Committee on Finance for supporting Finance Bill’s legislative instrument with due deliberations, recommending to the Government best possible suggestions to be incorporated in Federal Budget 2008-09. The Finance Minister also thanked his predecessor Mr. Ishaq Dar who did lot of ground work towards budget preparations, which finally enabled the Finance Minister to present before Parliament Annual Budget Document for the Fiscal Year 2008-2009. Finance Minister stated that current democratic government has started landmark Income Support Programme (ISP) which shall be kept transparent, effective and result oriented. The earlier experience of Zakat Funds Distribution and Pakistan Baitul Mall Funds Distribution shall be used to optimize best possible results in the interest of the poor households of the country. Completely computerized software based on NADRA’s database shall be used to keep ISP goal oriented. Element of pilferage in ISP shall be reduced to minimum, which finally shall lead to zero tolerance of any possible negative repercussions.Instead of individuals, households shall be selected on the basis of NADRA supported electronic database on enlist genuinely – deserving households (Poor Family Units). GOP ultimately plans to eliminate wheat subsidy – which earlier has been admissible on imported wheat. The Government shall provide support price to native farmers in order to promote maximum wheat crop yield. Necessary measures shall be taken through multi pronged strategies to bring the prices of daily use commodities down in order to provide maximum relief to the common man. Finance Minister said that we have increased health budget by 31 percent on current and development expenditure side, simultaneously paying attention to education sector for improving performance and output in primary, middle and higher education zones Overall impact of taxation proposals in existing budget would be more than 25%, and GOP would discourage import of luxury vehicles and good through revised taxation measures/suggestions.
National Finance Commission shall be reconstituted shortly for equitable distribution of state earnings. New formulas, in consultation with Provinces, shall be worked out maximize new NFC Awards’ fruits to all federating units/stakeholders. Special allocation for Balochistan Development Projects shall be made. The measures and recommendations proposed by Senate Standing Committee on Finance shall be given due consideration in the current federal budget. Some Sections of PPC and CRPC are proposed to be withdrawn through specific amendments to facilitate the people of the country against the backdrop states’ obligations to its people. Recovery of loans’ mechanism is being streamlined to support small loanees of HBFC and other state banking institutions so that the said loanees’ houses and property are not put to immediate auction, thus affording them an opportunity to renegotiate the loan recovery process. GOP does not intend to withdraw its deposits from various banks in order to keep banking sector liquidity stable. Earlier Mr. Ishaq Dar presented his compliments to Syed Naveed Qamar for presenting before Parliament, for the first time, details of armed forces defence budget.
PR. No. 154. The Federal Minister for Health Ms Sherry Rehman has expressed her concern over the rise in the number of polio cases in the country, as one more polio case was reported from the Province of Sindh this week. “The increase in the number of polio cases is a matter of shame and calls for revisiting the Expanded Programme for Immunisation,” said Ms Sherry Rehman directing the management of the EPI to immediately look into the issue. Ms Rehman said that the growing number of cases in the Province of Sindh, where there is no resistance to the immunisation drive, points to weaknesses in the implementation side of the Programme. “We have cases of missed children, suboptimal implementation of the Programme, issues in communication, and administrative inefficiencies at the provincial and district levels holding the Initiative back. Outreach has been identified as a major problem, even though there are over 80,000 teams spread out across the country carrying out the task of Immunisation. We have to address the glitches in management, communication and evaluation systems since these are keeping the programme from delivering the target of total eradication of the disease from the country.” Giving the details of the EPI Initiative, Ms Rehman said that the EPI is designed to work as an inherent part of the country’s health delivery system. “Supervised by the Ministry of Health, the Federal EPI Cell is responsible for providing strategic guidelines, supply of vaccine and logistics, coordination with partner agencies, periodic monitoring and evaluation, and extend technical support where required. As health is essentially a provincial subject, the bulk of responsibility falls on the provincial departments that implement the strategies on ground through the district health system.” Ms Rehman informed that the government is working towards improving the outreach and efficiency of the programme. “During the last National Immunisation Drive, camps were set up at toll plazas across Pakistan, leading to successful immunisation of over 32,000 children. Similarly, a comprehensive mechanism devised jointly with the WHO is in place to counter cross border transmission of the polio virus.” Reiterating her government’s commitment to the eradication of the disease, Ms Rehman said that the Immunisation drive must be pursued rigorously “Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto set off the Polio Eradication Initiative with the objective of eliminating the disease by the year 2000. It is sad that eight years past the deadline, we are still struggling with the targets.” The Federal Health Minister informed that the Ministry of Health has requested the WHO to arrange a Technical Advisory Group Consultation to discuss the current polio situation. “The Group is to meet next week in Karachi. We hope to find some effective solution to the problem.” Ms Rehman also assured the provinces of the Federal Government’s cooperation in overcoming the shortcomings of the Programme. “We are ready to extend an all out support to the provincial governments in this regard. A polio-free Pakistan was the dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and our government will make a maximum effort to achieve this target in the shortest possible time.” EW/AR
PR. No. 155. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan will extend all possible help to establish the first-ever Chinese Overseas Economic Zone in the country which will be yet another landmark in the all-weather friendship between the two countries. The Prime Minister was talking to Mr. Lu Keng, Chairman of the Haier Group and Haji Koch Muhammad, Chairman Ruba Group who called on him at his Chamber in the Parliament House this morning. The Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr. Luo Zhao Hui also attended the meeting. The Prime Minister said Pakistan welcomes the Haier Ruba joint venture and the government would encourage more joint ventures to promote economic cooperation between the two countries. Joint venture between the private sectors is the best way to promote trade and investment between our two countries, he added. The Prime Minister said that foreign investment is fully protected in Pakistan and all economic sectors are open to Foreign Direct Investment. Pakistan makes no distinction between local and foreign investors as 100% foreign equity, remittance of royalty, profits and dividends is allowed under Pakistani laws, he said. The Chairman of the Haier Group informed the Prime Minister that Chinese entrepreneurs are keen to invest in Pakistan and the establishment of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) would go a long way in facilitating Chinese investment in Pakistan. He said that the Haier Ruba has already brought in initial investment of $ 35 million. He also gave an overview of the SEZ to the Prime Minister which he said will comprise as industrial park, science and Technology Park, supply chain industry, skill development centre and research and development centre. It may be mentioned that the Special Economic Zone is being established under the Free Trade agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and China and all goods manufactured in this zone have tariff-free entry into Chinese market which would boost the country’s exports. The meeting was also attended by Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Special Assistant to PM, Principle Secretary to PM, Secretary, Board of Investment and Secretary Industries. DSG/AR
PR. No. 156.
Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo Advisor to Prime Minister/Federal Minister for Industries and Production has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Akhtar Ali Wario , a former Punjab minister and a political leader from Sialkot. He paid rich tributes to the services rendered by the late minister as a political leader and a social worker. He said that late Akhtar Ali Wario was a personal friend and a good human being. Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo has offered heartfelt condolences to the family members of late Akhtar Ali Wario. He prayed that God Almighty may rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage and fortitude to the members of bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss. Ali Umar Rajoka/AR.
PR. No. 157. Pakistan Manpower Institute (PMI) has organized a Two-Day Seminar on “Participation of the Female Workforce in the Economy – Issues, Challenges and Perspectives” from (17-18 June, 2008) in collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO)/Cynosure Consultants. The objective of the seminar is to promote knowledge on various issues relating to women development programmes, their integration in the process of economic development, equality in employment & gender equality, prospects and problems of employment for women and measures relating to the improvement of socio-economic conditions of female labour force in Pakistan. Twenty Eight (28) representatives from Federal and Provincial Government Organizations and academic Institutions are participating in the Seminar. The concluding session of the Seminar will be presided over by Mr. A.R. Abid, Acting Secretary Labour and Manpower Division today and award certificates to the participants of the seminar. MSG/AR.
PR. No. 158. President Pervez Musharraf has said that the strong economic fundamentals of the country have created an enabling environment for the private sector to become the engine of growth and as a result of this Pakistan has become one of the attractive destinations for investment due to its liberal and investment-friendly polices. He made these remarks while talking to Mr. Jean Jacques Gauthier Head of Corporate Finance and Member of Central Executive Committee of M/S Lafarge, the world’s largest cement and building materials company based in France, who called on him here today. Mr. Gauthier said that due to the stewardship of President Pervez Musharraf Pakistan has become an investment friendly country and they were investing in Pakistan because of the economic building in the country which they have witnessed in the last seven years. He said that the Lafarge group has invested into the cement sector by setting up cement factories and has also purchased a sick unit and transformed it into a profit earning entity. He said that the construction industry has enormous potential in Pakistan as a result of the economic boom which the country has achieved during the last seven years. He said that several new markets have emerged in Pakistan and the demand of the country has risen from 11 million tons to 37 million tons. He said that he was delighted to be here in Pakistan and looked forward to new ventures and ideas in the country. The President emphasized that Pakistan geo-strategically was the hub between Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and South Asia. Industrial and manufacturing units would have outstanding and excellent opportunities to not only benefit from Pakistan’s requirements but would also be able to supply their products throughout Pakistan and in the region. Pakistan itself was a large market as sit has ambitious public sector development plans which included, dams, hyudro-power projects, canals, highways and construction activity in the private sector. SHS/AR.
PR. No. 159. The newly appointed Managing Director Mr. Hirofumi Nagao and the outgoing Managing Director Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa of the Pak Suzuki Motors Company Ltd called on the Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza, in the Parliament House today. Speaking on the occasion the Speaker said that Pakistan was a safe place for foreign investment and the Government has legislated necessary laws to protect foreign Investment and has given maximum benefits to the foreign investors. She said that Pakistan provided better conditions and environment for foreign investors and they should avail these opportunities. The Speaker said that foreign auto developers and car makers were making valuable contributions to the industrial development of Pakistan by fulfilling the local needs for automobiles in Pakistan and also providing jobs to the people. She appreciated the services of out going MD for the company and the auto industry in Pakistan and expressed hope that the newly appointed MD would use his services to further expand the Suzuki’s investment in Pakistan . Mr. Hirofumi Nagao said that Suzuki Pakistan was purchasing 70% parts from local vendors that were a big support to the local industry. He said that Suzuki Company was focusing on Pakistan to expand its business by adopting new technologies to compete with other auto producers and also to meet the emerging demands in the market. He said that with the rise in prices of petroleum the company was converting maximum automobiles to CNG and very soon Pakistan will be number 1 in CNG use. Dr. Nasim Ashraf, Chairman National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) also called on Speaker National Assembly in her chamber. Talking to Mr. Ashraf, the Speaker said that the country’s economic development largely depended on the development of its human resource and appropriate utilization of natural resources, which was possible only when the country’s human resource was equipped with knowledge, science and technology. The Speaker said that the government was paying due attention and spending enough funds for promotion of human resource in the country. She said that there was abundance of natural resource in the country that could be utilized by the trained and educated human resource of the country. The Speaker said that there was a great scope of employment for Pakistani labour force in the foreign countries that can be availed by supply of trained labour. She said that it can also soar up our foreign exchange reserves besides reducing pressure on jobs inside the country. Dr. Nasim Ashraf, chairman (NCHD) said that his organization was making all out efforts to implement the government’s policy in letter and spirit and to develop HR according to the national aspirations and requirements and compatible to the international standards.
PR. No. 160. Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that the proposals of Parliamentarians to provide fiscal relief to the growers in order to reduce their input cost will be examined and finalized shortly in consultation with Pepco, Finance and Agriculture Ministries. He made these observations while presiding over a meeting of Parliamentarians of Punjab Province to discuss the proposals to provide fiscal relief to the farmers to boost agriculture productivity. Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Nazar Muhammad Gondal Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Power, Food and Agriculture, Advisor M/o Water and Power, Senior officials Ministries of Water and Power, Finance, Food and Agriculture, Wapda, Pepco, and ADBP also attended the meeting. He said that the policy of this people friendly government is to boost the agriculture sector and various steps have been proposed in the budget 2008-09. As the agriculture is the back bone of our economy and all the possible steps will be taken to increase the output, he added and said the valuable proposals of the Parliamentarians will be given due consideration to include in the budget. Ashraf also said that Pepco is providing 10 hours uninterrupted supply for tube wells and this will be strictly enforced and monitored. He asked the Parliamentarians to also monitor it and gave feed back in this respect. The Minister also asked the Members to implement the energy conservation policy and initiate awareness compaign in their respective areas. It was decided in the meeting that Pepco and other concerned ministries will submit detailed report on the proposals of the Parliamentarians next week. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday with Parliamentarians of all the four provinces to further discuss and finalize the proposals. Earlier, the Parliamentarians briefed the meeting on their proposals regarding subsidy on electricity tariff for tube wells, waiver of interest on small loans, reduction of interest rate on agricultures loans, introduction of low cost tractor scheme on easy installments, flat rates for tube wells, quarterly bills for tube wells, permission to arrange transformers from open market by the farmers on their expenses for tube wells, livestock insurance, opening of facilitation centers for cooperative farms at union council level by the govt to provide fertilizers, pesticides and seeds on easy installments, etc. The Parliamentarians were of the views that the proposals will help to boost the agriculture sector and provide relief to the general public and should be included in the budget. They also assured their full cooperation in the energy conservation programme. The Parliamentarians also thanked the Minister for Water and Power for provision of uninterrupted power supply of ten hours for tube wells. AJM/ank
PR. No. 161. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has ordered immediate release of the recurring grants amounting to Rs. 1.5 billion to the Higher Education Commission for payment of salaries and allowances to the teaching staff of the public sector universities, institutions and centers. The Prime Minister was informed by public representatives that public sector universities were facing acute shortages of funds due to the stoppage of cash flow from the Federal Government. Public sector universities were unable to pay salaries and allowances to their teaching staff. The Prime Minister took serious notice of the situation and ordered the Finance Division to immediately release the recurring grants to the HEC with a view to providing relief to the teaching faculty of these universities and institutions. DSG/wh
PR. No. 162. In Pursuance of the direction of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Balochistan will get additional revenue amounting to Rs.3 billion as gas sale agreement between the Oil and Gas Development Corporation Ltd.(OGDCL) and the Uch Power Ltd. The Prime Minister has further ordered immediate payment of this amount to the Balochistan Government. This amount is in addition to the Rs. 3 billion which the Balochistan Government will receive from the Prime Minister’s own grant which he announced yesterday after meeting with a delegation from Balochistan headed by Chief Minister Balochistan. The gas sale agreement was hammered out today by the Committee appointed by Prime Minister yesterday to resolve the issue of payment of royalty regarding Uch gas field to the Government of Balochistan within twenty-four hours. The Committee is headed by the Law Minister Mr. Farooq Naik, while Secretary Petroleum, Secretary Finance and Principal Secretary to PM are members of this committee. DSG/wh
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