Technical allowance for engineers being worked out: CM

KARACHI: As reported in 2019, Sindh contributed $164 billion to the country’s GDP.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said this while speaking at the 26th Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) at the NED University of Engineering & Technology on Friday.

He said that he graduated from the NED University in 1986. “Being part of the most prestigious, professional and prudent community of the country, I assure of all my efforts for the betterment of the engineering profession,” he stated and congratulated the PEC on the successful conduct of its 2020 AGM during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The CM said Sindh was the second largest province of Pakistan and Karachi being its provincial capital was the economic and industrial hub of the country, contributing $164 billion to the country’s GDP as reported in 2019. “This city accounts for almost half of the total collections of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) which is a substantial chunk of Sindh’s GDP - around 95 per cent,” he said and added that such contribution was due to engineers, industries and production activities including engineering services.

The CM said the PEC was the sole representative of the engineering community in Pakistan and it had already achieved significant milestones, including the membership of all the prestigious international forums.

He added that the PEC was recently tasked by the ministry of science & technology with establishing required standards for electro-medical devices such as ventilators and constituting various research groups in universities and industry to come up with indigenous designs for such products. Shah said today, the PEC stood amongst the progressive professional bodies not only in the country but also in the developing world.

“I hope the resolutions adopted by the 26th AGM will further bring necessary reforms for improvements in the ongoing PEC agenda of betterment and facilitation to the engineering profession and allied institutions.”

He said that all such initiatives and future proposals for the betterment of the engineering fraternity and profession would be supported by the Sindh government.

Addressing the engineers present in the meeting, Shah said they had witnessed that Sindh was complying with necessary regulations for all the engineering positions in line with the PEC Act 1976.

He added that a proposal for technical allowance to professional engineers was being worked out in various provincial departments.