Strategy to facilitate development process: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht has said the Punjab government will be launching its Punjab Spatial Strategy (PSS) soon to facilitate integrated planning in the development process by adding a spatial dimension to the process.

The primary aim of the spatial strategy is to equip Punjab with a long-term spatial planning framework. It will ensure integrated spatial planning and its compliance will structurally transform Punjab into an economically developed and sustainable region. PSS will vertically integrate planning at provincial, regional and local levels, while coordinating them horizontally amongst various departments.

The ultimate aim of this endeavour is to enable the province to move in a unified direction, building on comparative advantages and enhancing competitiveness, while ensuring balanced and organised development across Punjab.

He expressed these views while taking briefing at P&D board regarding PSS. The minister said that PSS is expected to have a lasting spatial impact on policy-making, planning and development interventions by both the public and private sectors in Punjab.

With spatially allocating investments across Punjab, imbalanced growth would be minimised which currently acts as a serious impediment towards Punjab’s perceived future. Planning & Development Board is the sponsoring agency for this key intervention while urban unit will be the executing agency for this project, he added.

According to P&D Chairman Habib-ur-Rehman Gillani, Punjab Spatial Strategy was developed through a rigorous process with the help of many subject matter experts and a large team of consultants, planners and GIS practitioners.

The spatial strategy was developed with thorough input from various stakeholders and consultative sessions were held periodically; including five sessions with academia and private businesses, more than 17 sessions with various government departments and numerous others were held for public discourse and to have deliberations in the presence of international experts.

The PSS will make the ADP formulation process of the province spatially more informed; hence resources will be optimally used and will lead to reducing intra- and inter-regional disparities and ensuring access to economic opportunities.

For the implementation of an integrated spatial planning system, a strong implementation, monitoring and evaluation framework is also being planned along with assigned roles for all key public sector stakeholders.

Symposium: The 2nd National Symposium on “Botanical Entrepreneurship and Business Development” was held at University of Education, Township Campus, on Monday. According to a press released, renowned botanists from all over Pakistan and a large number of students attended the symposium. While addressing the participants, University of Education Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Rauf-i-Azam said the knowledge of botany had become importance in recent years. “Modern research is going on regarding the beneficial use of trees, plants and flowers,” he said and added “if we come up with sustainable business model, we can earn handsome money while using our knowledge about trees, plantation and flowers.” He emphasized the need to be environment-sensitive citizens so that we can make Pakistan green and clean.

Renowned botanist Prof Dr Shahzad Maqsood Basra said Pakistan could save a huge amount of foreign exchange while giving the status of industry to the botanical sector. After getting the knowledge of botany, one could not only become a teacher but also a successful businessman. Director Division of Science & Technology Dr Alam Saeed also spoke.