28 March 2004	Sunday	06 Safar 1425

LAHORE, March 27: Punjab Finance Minister Sardar Hasnain Bahadur Dareshak has expressed optimism that thefederation and provinces would reach an agreement on aresource-sharing formula at the forthcoming meeting of National Finance Commission (NFC) in Quetta on Monday.

He hoped that the award would be finalized by March 31. Talking to newsmen at a prize-distribution ceremony at the Institute of Bankers Pakistan on Saturday, he also talked about the mechanism of arbitration for NWFP's hydel profit issue.

Responding to a question, Mr Dareshak said that socialsector development would continue to be a focus of the Punjab government in the next budget. Health, education, physical infrastructure, irrigation and water supply would get major allocations, he added.

Earlier, speaking at the ceremony,Mr Dareshak urged bankers not to compromise on quality ofservice and added that quality servicescould be ensured only through on-job training of bankers. "We cannot meet challenges of the 21st century withouta well-educated and professionally competent manpower."

State Bank of Pakistan Lahore manager MuhammadSohrab Abbasi and IBP Chief Executive Muhammad Saleem Umer also spoke on the occasion.-APP