CS orders transparent use of budget
LAHORE:Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal on Thursday directed all the departments to work hard for transparent and timely utilisation of the development budget, saying that unnecessary delay in projects would not be tolerated.
He gave this instruction while presiding over a meeting held in the Planning and Development Department to review the implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP). The chief secretary said that it was necessary to achieve the monthly targets related to the use of funds for development projects. He stressed that the timeframe from the initiation to the completion of the schemes must be followed. He said that the allocated funds should not lapse in any case. The chief secretary ordered the departments to take immediate steps to get approval for the unapproved schemes and said that the progress in the implementation of the annual development programme would be reviewed regularly. He said that the Planning and Development department must be informed in case of any roadblocks in the execution of uplift schemes. He also asked the departments to enhance coordination with the P&D Board members for progress on delayed schemes.
The department officials gave a detailed briefing to the meeting about the allocated development budget, release, and use of funds. The meeting was told that 4,556 out of 4,992 schemes had been approved and Rs334 billion had been released out of the allocated funds of Rs685 billion. The Additional Chief Secretary (South Punjab) and secretaries of all departments participated in the meeting.
online courses: Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) for the second consecutive year has partnered with Coursera, world’s leading online learning platform to offer globally recognised courses for youngsters of Punjab.
PSDF partnership with Coursera taps into this potential, offering 13 specialised courses for the e-lance market, and are particularly geared towards enhancing career advancement, increasing income avenues, and promoting self-employment. Through PSDF, these courses will be offered at Rs2,000 with PSDF incentivising upskilling with a stipend of Rs5,000 to be received upon completion of the course. According to a report by Pakistan Software House Association (P@SHA), in FY 2020-21, the share of IT freelancers was 17 percent, $394 million, in the total IT exports of the country, which stood at $2.1 billion. Plugging youngsters into the global economy by training them to be e-lancers and digital entrepreneurs will provide them access to a growing digi-economy and boosting Pakistan’s economy. PSDF Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ali Akbar Bosan, highlighted the importance of online learning for young generation, saying through this partnership PSDF would bring world class learning opportunities to the homes of Pakistani students and workers.
The courses are accessible through learn.psdf.org.pk. Seats are limited, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
