LAHORE Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the Punjab government is implementing a comprehensive programme for speedy economic development of the province and revolutionary reforms have been introduced for the uplift of health and other social sectors. He said that various programmes for the development of social sectors were successfully running in Punjab with the cooperation of World Bank. He said that youths were an asset of the nation and special attention was being paid to imparting them various skills. He said that a programme was being implemented with the cooperation of Punjab Skill Development Company and DFID. He asked the World Bank to consider provision of assistance for quality skill development of five lakh youths annually. He was talking to new Country Director of World Bank in Pakistan Patchamuthu Illangovan, who met him, here Tuesday. Matters of mutual interest and the ongoing projects for the development of social sector were discussed in the meeting while it was agreed to promote cooperation between World Bank and Punjab for skill development, education, health, agriculture, irrigation and other sectors. Talking to the World Bank Country Director, the chief minister said that targets had been fixed to increase the growth rate in the province for improving the living standard of the masses and no effort would be spared to increase the growth rate to 8 percent in Punjab till 2018. He said the government was implementing the policy of balanced development of urban and rural areas and development projects costing billions of rupees were being completed expeditiously in urban and rural areas. He said a target had been set to impart training of quality skill development to two million youth by 2018. He said that thousands of youths had been imparted skill in accordance with the market needs through Skill Development Programme while lakhs of more youths would be imparted such training during next two and a half years. He said that the target of provision of scholarships to one lakh talented but deserving students through Punjab Educational Endowment Fund had been achieved while another one lakh students would be given scholarships during next one year. He said the government had introduced revolutionary reforms for increasing resources of the province while special attention was being paid to the capacity building of government institutions. He said that e-governance had been promoted in the Punjab through information technology. He aid that besides terrorism, Pakistan was also facing the challenge of electricity shortage. He said effective measures had been taken with national consensus for elimination of terrorism while work was in progress on several projects to overcome energy crisis. He said a number of power projects would be producing thousands of megawatt electricity by the end of 2017. He said the growth rate could be increased through resolving energy crisis; therefore, the government was taking all possible steps for resolving energy crisis. The World Bank new Country Director in Pakistan Illangovan said that splendid measures had been taken in Punjab for the public welfare under dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. He said that World Bank would promote interaction with the Punjab government for socio-economic development while cooperation would continue in skill development sector. He said the Board of World Bank had appreciated citizen feedback programme in Punjab which was playing an important role in the provision of better public service. He said that under the leadership of the chief minister, more work had been undertaken in Punjab as compared to other provinces. He said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had made commendable efforts for the welfare and betterment of the people of Punjab especially for the uplift of social sector.
