April 25, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 07, 1428

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LAHORE, April 24: Governor Khalid Maqbool told the concluding session of the Punjab Development Forum (PDF) on Tuesday the Punjab government had focused on a strategy to bring less developed areas on a par with developed parts.

Mr Maqbool said the provincial GDP growth was better than the national and the government was ready to share its experiences with other provinces. The provincial government had introduced an effective service delivery system in health, education and agriculture, he said at the concluding session of the PDF.

He said the government had been very supportive of the private sector-led development in the province, adding that international investors were investing in industrial and infrastructural projects. He said the private sector in Punjab was contributing to province’s economic development.

He said that productivity should be enhanced in a manner that it benefited the weaker segments of society. He said the government would develop human resources and the youth would be trained in areas needed in the job market.

He said the government was promoting cultural activities and had set up art and design departments at all public universities in the province.

Liqun Jin, Asian Development Bank, south, central and west Asia vice president, addressing the session said that he had discussed development programmes of Punjab and ADB’s assistance with the provincial leadership, adding that the bank would support Punjab’s development vision and strategy.

He said the province had achieved milestones under its Punjab Resource Management Programme and that it should strengthen the public resource management reforms to enhance the sustainability of the achievements.

He said that important areas for continued reforms at the provincial level included improving key fiscal management areas on both taxation and expenditure side, strengthening medium-term budgetary and development frameworks, undertaking pension reforms, building greater local government capacity and strengthening links between fiscal reforms and service delivery.

Health Programme Director Abdullah Khan Sumbal said that 38.4 per cent population in the province was suffering from communicable diseases and 37.7 percent from non-communicable diseases due to unsatisfactory healthcare facilities. The government had prepared a Rs.13 billion healthcare package to improve healthcare delivery systems and improve doctor-bed and nurse-bed ration from 1:8 to 1:5.

He said that one expectant mother was dying after every 20 months because 80 percent deliveries were being handles in homes by untrained midwives.

The government was training thousands of women health workers to advise expectant mothers in rural areas and making delivery facilities available at basic health units to reduce the mortality rate.

Punjab Education Foundation Director Dr Allah Bakhsh said the foundation was trying to improve standard of education through public-private partnership. Educational institutions paying minimum salary of Rs10,000 to teachers were being provided financial assistance. Over 100,0000 students were being issued financial assistance vouchers of Rs300 for studies in any of the schools approved by the foundation.