LAHORE: Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar inaugurated the anti-polio campaign at Government Central Model School, Rattigan Road, Monday and administered anti-polio vaccine drops to the children. Different children also washed their hands on the occasion.
Talking on the occasion, the chief minister said that government is fully committed to win the war against polio and we will work hard to keep our children safe from this disease. He reiterated that Punjab would be made a polio-free province and added that line departments will have to fulfil the responsibility of making anti-polio campaign a success through their hard work and sincere efforts. He appealed to the parents to get administered anti-polio drops to their children.
Provincial Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said the chief minister had taken the responsibility of eradicating polio virus adding that it would be completely removed with the collective efforts. Cleanliness is half to faith and it is essential to wash hands with soap before eating food and after easing oneself.
buffalo moot: Usman Buzdar has said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government is striving for the development of livestock sector on scientific lines and as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The chief minister said the Punjab government has taken various initiatives for the promotion of livestock and poultry with focus on the development of commonly neglected rural population. The government wants every individual farmer develop, learn and adopt the latest farming techniques and get maximum produce of milk and meat, which will consequently contribute to development of national economy in a big way, the CM said in his address to a galaxy of scientists after inaugurating International Buffalo Congress-2019 organised by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore in collaboration with Livestock and Dairy Development Department Punjab and other partners here Monday.
The chief minister called for promoting a research culture to enhance milk and meat yield. He said that buffalo known as black gold is an important component of livestock in terms of its milk, meat production and draught power and it is the right time to showcase its potential in the international market through the International Buffalo Congress and buffalo fair. He hoped that the scientists, researchers and academicians attending the buffalo congress from across the world would finalise useful recommendations for development of buffalo and livestock sector, which would contribute to food security and poverty-reduction in the country. The chief minister also inaugurated the Sino-Pak Buffalo Research Centre, which will work for promotion of research on buffalo in China and Pakistan.
Punjab Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dareshak, Adviser to Chief Minister on Livestock, Faisal Hayat Jabwana, Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial, Minister for Women Development Ashifa Riaz, UVAS Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, Secretary Livestock and Dairy Development Punjab Muhammad Ahsan Waheed, Secretary International Buffalo Federation Dr Antonio Borghese and a large number of national and international delegation, professionals and Livestock Department officials attended the inaugural session of the congress. Punjab Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dareshak said the government has taken effective steps to improve livestock in the province and to ensure better quality of meat and dairy products. “The overall livestock development strategy revolves around fostering private sector-led development with public sector providing an enabling environment through policy interventions,” the minister added.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha said that buffalo development would significantly contribute to achieving sustainable development goals of food security, nutrition, poverty alleviation, economic growth and employment. He said that despite buffalo’s importance, institutional efforts, resource allocation, research and development are minimal; as a consequence its potential contribution has not been fully realised.
He said that more than 500 delegates from Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and the United States of America are attending the congress. He said the congress spread over one plenary and 14 technical sessions and a farmer-industry forum, 12 business meetings, seven pre-congress workshops, 100 each posters and oral presentations on 10 different aspects of buffalo.
About the national livestock show/buffalo fair at Buffalo Research Institute Pattoki, the vice-chancellor said that about 1,000 elite animals from all over the country have been registered for different competitions. A trade exhibition has also been arranged at BRI, Pattoki.
About the Sino-Pak Joint Research Centre for Buffalo, Prof Pasha said that the centre would build a scientific platform for cooperative research and long-term development in the field of buffalo science between China and Pakistan.