Public should not look towards govt for jobs: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday the public should not look towards the government for jobs, as it was planning to do away with 400 departments.

However, the minister later clarified he implied to say private sector and not the government provides jobs, as the government creates environment conducive for employment, “but it cannot give job to everyone”.

If the people started looking up to the government to give jobs to everyone, the entire framework of the economy would collapse, he said while addressing the second Deans International Conference of Engineering Institutions here.

He said the government was planning to abolish 400 departments, adding everywhere in the world governments were shrinking in size. He said it was the mentality of the 1970s that governments would provide jobs but now the private sector provided jobs. It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI government had pledged 10 million jobs to youths in its election manifesto.

A spokesman for the minister said Chaudhry’s statement was presented out of context. The minister implied to say the government wanted to create job opportunities in the private sector in order to boost trade and industrial sector which would bring employment.

“Chaudhry Fawad asked to abolish those institutions that have no direct role in stability of the national economy rather they are a burden on the country’s economy,” he remarked.

The spokesman said to bring an end to those institutions and reduce the government share was the part of PTI government’s austerity drive.

In modern democracy, he said, the trend to lessen the government share in job sector was gaining momentum in order to decrease pressure on the economy.

The minister said the PTI government had its priority to provide conducive environment for strengthening the economy that would promote trade and industry