BAHAWALPUR: The federal government has finalised the technical education policy which was expected to be enforced by March 4.

This was stated by Federal Minister for State and Interior Affairs Baleeghur Rehman while inaugurating the local chapter of the College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) here on Saturday.

The minister, who is primarily in-charge of the technical and vocational training wing in the federal education ministry, said he had been working on framing a technical education policy since last year and now it was ready for launching.

He urged the youth to acquire technical education. He regretted that less than one per cent of the youths were acquiring technical training in Pakistan as against 16pc in rest of the world.

He cited the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s initiative who had launched the Punjab Skill Development Programme (PSDP) in districts of south Punjab a few years back.

He claimed that a large number of students hailing from these less-developed areas (south Punjab), who were also given scholarships, had benefited from PSDP courses.

The minister expressed the hope that local youth, without any discrimination and gender bias, would make best use of the opening of the COTHM branch here as bright future in this field awaited them.

Earlier, COTHM chief executive Ahmed Shafiq and executive director Waqas Raza briefed the minister about training courses and the working of the institution which has its own food laboratory and other sections.

PROEST: Leaders and activists of the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) took out a protest rally against the Friday’s attack on Imambargah in Peshawar that claimed the lives of 22 worshippers.

The MWM activists assembled at the University Chowk and raised slogans against the government.

The protesters demanded of the government to arrest the killers and crush the TTP.

ASSURANCE HELD: Punjab Minister for Cooperatives Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar has said the bona fide and deserving Cholistanis will be allotted land under the chief minister’s package.

Addressing a seminar organized by NGOs, the minister said that genuine inhabitants of the desert would be given their due rights.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2015

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