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ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The government is initiating new programmes for the development of rural areas so that unemployment could be reduced and standard of living there could be improved.
This was stated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while presiding over a meeting on rural development here on Friday. He emphasized that the improvement of infrastructure, provision of vocational training, expansion of livestock, supply of drinking water, sanitation and universal education should be the priorities.
The prime minister stressed the need for coordinated efforts to achieve the goal of rural development. "There is an overlapping of work in different organizations working for the rural development," he said, adding that those organizations needed to be streamlined.
The prime minister said the focus should be on village level activity and all the organizations concerned should coordinate and facilitate each other. He directed the minister for industries to submit detailed action plan for the rural development within a couple of two weeks.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Industries Jehangir Tareen, Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan, NCHD Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf and others.
APP ADDS: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz discussed the targets and goals of the ministry of foreign affairs in a meeting with the foreign minister, minister of state for foreign affairs and foreign secretary on Thursday.
The meeting stressed the need for broadening of foreign policy objectives to include economic diplomacy to increase trade, investment and economic cooperation. The diplomats should project a true and soft image of Pakistan as an enlightened, moderate Islamic state and there is the need to represent and project Pakistan in a better way.
The prime minister said the Foreign Office had played an important role in projecting Pakistan and developing relations with key countries. "We need a more focused approach so that we leverage all our assets to project Pakistan's image and develop long-term strategic relations with our key partners," he added.
