Senate body for more scholarships in less developed areas

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas on Friday recommended increase in number of scholarships for students and sportsmen and women belonging to Fata, Balochistan and other less developed areas.

The committee met here under the chairmanship of Senator Usman Khan Kakar of PkMAP here at the Parliament House. The panel proposed holding of football Pakistan Super League. The meeting was given briefing on the role, working and performance of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination in less developed areas and Fata during last three years.

The committee was also briefed about youth exchange cultural programme, PM youth training scheme, quality of education opportunities for students of Balochistan and Fata, scholarships to schedule caste of Tharparkar district, admission of Bugti tribe students in Bahawalpur, commonwealth scholarship programme, China government scholarship programme, Pakistan girls guide and boys scouts associations.

The committee asked the ministry to ask the Commonwealth and China government to offer around 20 more scholarships for Fata and Balochistan in addition to the already offered 49 and 100 scholarships annually by Ccommonwealth and China respectively.

The forum, after hearing about the steps taken for promotion of football in less developed areas, asked for establishing at least five football stadiums in Balochistan—in Chaman, Loralai, Nushki, Khuzdar and Kalat for promotion of the sport.

The chairman of the committee noted that football players from Balochistan have always outshone players from other areas and they should be given more opportunities to enhance their skill. The committee also recommended to start a football league following PSL.

The committee also recommended to include sports as a compulsory part of school and college education and asked for it to be a marked activity.While talking about other programmes for less developed areas, the committee recommended to enhance the internship salaries for less developed areas to 20,000 from 12,000. The committee also recommended to increase two times the number of internees for the next year and increase the upper age limit to 30 from 28 for students of less developed areas.

It asked for increasing the number of delegates from less developed areas on youth exchange cultural programme.The meeting was attended among others by Senator Mir Kabir Ahmed Shahi, Senator Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Senator Sardar Azam Khan Musakhel, Senator Nisar Muhammad, Senator Samina Abid, Senator Gianchand, minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination and Secretary Inter-provincial Coordination Raja Nadir Ali.