September 19, 2006	Tuesday	Sha'aban 25, 1427

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LAHORE, Sept 18: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said on Monday the concept of public-private partnership had been given a practical shape to accelerate the process of development in the province.

Talking to participants in the 85th national management course of the Pakistan Administrative Staff College at the CM Secretariat, he said administrative capabilities of government departments had been improved with good governance to help accelerate progress on the partnership.

He said project management units had been set up and the monitoring system improved to achieve the targets of development in health, education, industrial, irrigation, information technology and other sectors. He said the education sector reforms programme had proved very successful, and its duration had been extended to 10 years.

He said a survey had been conducted, missing facilities provided in 64,000 schools and about 70,000 teachers recruited. He said a monthly stipend of Rs200 was being provided to girl students in 15 districts of southern Punjab owing to which the trend of imparting education to girls had risen in these areas.

He said the health sector reforms programme had been initiated on the pattern of education sector reforms programme under which rural and basic health centres were being upgraded. He said besides giving attractive salary packages and residential facilities to doctors deputed at these centres, they had also been allowed private practice. He said emergency service had been improved in all hospitals, and the patients were being provided free treatment.

Pervaiz Elahi said after the success of Rescue-1122 in Lahore, the scope of this scheme was being extended to other major cities so that a maximum number of people could benefit from it. He said two new medical colleges had been set up in Lahore and Rahim Yar Khan, while the King Edward Medical College had been granted the status of a university. He said a cardiology hospital had been established in Multan, while similar cardiology centres were being set up in Faisalabad and Wazirabad.

He said the government was promoting industrialisation, under a comprehensive policy, and a private investment of Rs9 billion had so far been made in various sectors in Sundar Industrial Estate. He said Shaikh Zayed Trade Centre was being constructed at a cost of $400 million, which would comprise four towers and a five-star hotel. This project would also generate 25,000 job opportunities.

He said an industrial estate was being set up in Faisalabad over an area of 3,000 acres, while the government was also developing industrial zones.

The chief minister said the government had also evolved the Lahore-Sialkot motorway project which would promote development activities in these areas. He said a software technology park was being constructed for promoting the information technology sector. Transport was being converted to CNG under the Green Punjab Programme which would help control environment pollution.

He said a scheme had been launched for the provision of four-stroke CNG rickshaws to the people. The Mass Transit Rail Project had also been evolved which would result in modern and comfortable travel facilities to the citizens. He said the government was ensuring supply of potable water to the citizens on a priority basis besides the sewerage and sanitation system was also being upgraded.

He said the century-old irrigation system was being rehabilitated and modernised. A project was also been executed for repair and rehabilitation of barrages and headworks in the province. He said Taunsa Barrage had been remodelled while lining of major canals was also being undertaken. The lining of Thal Canal had been completed which had resulted in supply of water to two million acres of Khushab, Layyah, Mianwali and Bhakkar districts.

He said the district government system had been strengthened and provided 30 per cent more resources than the last year. He said discretionary powers of government officers had been curtailed and the administrative system was being improved for resolving people’s problems. He said 11 per cent more funds were being provided to southern Punjab than the ratio of population in this region.

He said a massive development project had been launched in 21 tehsils of southern Punjab at a cost of Rs7.5 billion under which provision of potable water, sewerage and sanitation system was also being modernised.