Tag: Ministry of Planning

Islamabad, March 22, 2023 (PPI-OT): The Federal government has formally unveiled the Prime Minister’s Youth Development Package worth Rs 150 billion amid to empower the youth which are ‘biggest asset’ of the country.

Under the umbrella of PM’s Youth Development Initiatives, 15 programs were launched by the Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal during a ceremony held on Tuesday. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs, Shiza Fatima, Chairman Higher Education Commission HEC, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and thousands of students from across the country have attended the ceremony.

The 15 youth development initiatives include 60,000 internships, technical and vocational trainings for 100,000 youth, 100,000 laptops, 5000 scholarships for students of Balochistan and former FATA, 1000 PhD Scholarships at top 100 Universities in the US, 75 scholarships at top 25 universities of the world, 21 university campuses in remote districts, 250 sports complexes, youth peace and development student councils in 80 universities, 75 leadership awards, 500 innovation grants worth Rs 5-20 million each, Rasta grants for research, 12 Seerat chairs, seven centres of excellence and uplift of 20 poorest districts and Pakistan.

“The two-third of the country’s population is based on young people who must be empowered through education and skills so that they can contribute for the socio-economic development of the country, ” said the planning minister in his remarks while addressing the participants. The Minister said that Pakistan will cater the youth bulge till 2050 and it is essential to utilize their abilities so that they can perform for the country’s economic growth.

Prime Minister’s Ba- Ikhtiyar Naujawan Internship Program is Pakistan’s largest internship program aimed at the economic empowerment of youth. This internship will help in addressing the critical entry barriers to market and enhance employability. Under this program 60,000 paid internships will be given to young graduates across Pakistan.

In order to eradicate the deprivation of Balochistan which remained neglected in the past, the government initiated a scholarships program for the students of Balochistan, and Ex-FATA. Under this program, 5000 scholarships will be given to the students of Balochistan and FATA.

These scholarships will help the students of Balochistan and Ex-FATA to pursue their higher education in respective fields, remarked the Minister. It is noted that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the government has started a project to uplift the 20 poorest districts of the country and Rs 40 billion has been earmarked for this purpose.

The planning minister has been actively pursuing these initiatives since he assumed charge in April 2022. During (2013-2017), the planning minister under the vision of 2025 started several initiatives. However, some of the projects were stopped by the previous government and it has been restarted again.

The Minister also took oath from Young Peace Development Corps (YPDC) who were attached to the country’s various universities. The key objective of YPDC is for young people to come together, exchange ideas, and collaborate on projects that promote peace and address root causes of conflict and violence in their communities.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, SAPM on Youth Affairs, Shazia Fatima said that the government is committed to provide a conducive and enabling environment to the country’s youth so that they can be empowered and perform for the country’s socio-economic growth.

For more information, contact:
Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives
“P” Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9209442
Fax: +92-51-9201777
Email: webmanager@pc.gov.pk
Website: https://www.pc.gov.pk/

Islamabad, March 17, 2023 (PPI-OT): Federal Minister for Planning Prof. Ahsan Iqbal chairing the meeting of National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) has issued instructions to the Ministry of National Food Security and the provincial governments to increase the prices of food items used in Ramadan. I have also directed to reduce the prices of edible oil in order to maintain the balance so that maximum relief can be given to the people in the month of Ramadan and no crisis occurs in the country.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of all provinces, Federal Board of Revenue, Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Food Security and Industries. The Federal Minister of Planning, NAB has asked the authorities of all provinces, especially the Ministry of Food, to maintain a balance in the prices of food items before the start of the month of Ramadan.

In the meeting, the officials of the Statistics Institute gave a detailed briefing regarding the prices of food items. The Federal Minister expressed concern that despite the decrease in the prices of edible oil in the global market, its positive effects did not reach Pakistan and issued instructions to the concerned departments to resolve the matter immediately.

Addressing the meeting, the federal minister directed the provincial authorities to closely monitor the prices while strict action should be taken against hoarding. The federal minister further said that keeping in mind the demand of market items, their supply should be ensured, especially those items which are used more in the month of Ramadan, including besan, dates.

In the meeting, the Federal Minister expressed concern over the increase in the prices of food items in the federal capital and directed the Chief Commissioner, Islamabad to immediately control the prices, while the Assistant Commissions in the respective areas to control the prices effectively. Also issued instructions to take action. The federal minister said that the government is taking vigorous steps to provide maximum relief to the common man.

For more information, contact:
Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives
“P” Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9209442
Fax: +92-51-9201777
Email: webmanager@pc.gov.pk
Website: https://www.pc.gov.pk/

Islamabad, March 13, 2023 (PPI-OT): The Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives has extended the deadline for submission of entries for Development Leadership Award (DLA) till March 16 while providing more opportunities to the applicants. The decision was taken amid to provide maximum opportunities to the candidates. Earlier, the last deadline was February 25. However, it has extended to March 16. The initiative DLA was taken by the Planning Ministry to mark the celebrations of 75 years of independence.

The key objective of these awards is to honour Pakistani citizens and overseas Pakistanis who have contributed significantly to the socioeconomic development of Pakistan. The DLA will be given to outstanding individuals in recognition of high achievers, emerging leaders and overseas Pakistanis in specific fields which include teachers, researchers, public policy experts; business owners; investors; startups ‘social enterprises, philanthropists; social activists; journalists and others.

Under the awards, three main categories were established which includes high achiever (over 35 years’ age), emerging leader (under 35 years’ age) and recognizing accomplished overseas Pakistanis. A high powered ‘DLA Evaluation Board’ – comprised of intellectuals, practitioners, professionals, and policymakers – will evaluate the submissions and forward recommendations to the Prime Minister Office.

It is noted that since the government came into power in April last year several initiatives have been taken for the development of the country particularly for the youth and DLA is one of the initiatives to recognize the contribution of people in respective fields.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal in his message reiterated that the government is committed to take such initiatives by recognizing the services of citizens in different fields. Those citizens who have contributed to the country’s development must be rewarded, said the minister, while urging the citizens to register themselves for these awards.

For more information, contact:
Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives
“P” Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9209442
Fax: +92-51-9201777
Email: webmanager@pc.gov.pk
Website: https://www.pc.gov.pk/

The post Planning Ministry extends submission deadline for Development Leader Awards to March 16 appeared first on AsiaNet-Pakistan.

Islamabad, March 13, 2023 (PPI-OT): Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal said that if you have the will, this country will help you to fulfill your dreams, but you need to work hard for it. These views were expressed by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal while speaking at the EConFest Festival of Economy organized by Pahd on the theme of what problems Pakistan is facing and “How Pakistan can be changed”, while addressing the event

The federal minister said that he said that public service requires faith and a desire to help one’s country and people. He said that no policy will be successful if there is conflict in the society. Pakistan’s 75-year history shows that we have made strong policies. However, we lag behind South Korea, Turkey and other countries in terms of policy consistency.

“At first, we were on our way to become the next Japan of South Asia but the 1965 war pushed us back,” he added. Similarly, in 1991 private sector participation brought investment in many sectors but the then government was thrown out which again derailed Pakistan’s economic development. The third opportunity came to us in the form of CPEC.

The Chinese government was very interested in investing in Pakistan, but the new government that came to power in 2018 started making allegations of corruption in the Sipil project, which once again derailed Pakistan. National interest should not be sacrificed for the sake of conflicts and politics. Therefore, we as Pakistanis should learn to cooperate to improve the economy of Pakistan.

To develop its economy, the minister said Pakistan needs to curb tax evasion, increase tax collection and increase its exports from around Rs 30 billion to Rs 100 billion in the next 5 to 8 years.

Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that we also need to improve the IT skills of our youth. Moreover, there is a need to deal with climatic conditions. Most importantly, we need to address the energy issue, which is a huge strain on Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves. So, we need to switch to renewable energy sources. The minister said that we also need to focus on equality in education and health.

For more information, contact:
Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives
“P” Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9209442
Fax: +92-51-9201777
Email: webmanager@pc.gov.pk
Website: https://www.pc.gov.pk/

The post Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal’s speech at the opening ceremony of EConFest appeared first on AsiaNet-Pakistan.