KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has asked the World Bank to assist his government in low-cost power generation.

“We have one of the largest coal reserves in the world which is enough to meet our energy requirements for centuries. What we want you to help us in generating environmental-friendly coal-fired energy in the province,” he said while talking to World Bank Country Director Illango Patchamuthu, who called on him at CM House on Monday.

The CM recalled that the World Bank was financing coal-fired power generation in South Africa. “Keeping in view the instance and our dire need the World Bank must consider our request.”

He said that the World Bank could also help the Sindh government in acquiring new technology to generate environment friendly and cheap coal-fired energy.

He also said that the agriculture sector had a substantial role in reducing nutrition gap. “But it is stagnant on different counts, including retardation of soil fertility, old-fashioned cultivation practices and lack of cropping zoning and diversification.”

Mr Shah also urged the WB official in Pakistan to help Sindh to explore the avenues of overseas employment opportunities for its skilled youth. “Under the Benazir Youth Development Programme we are imparting training to our youths in 70 different trades. If a chunk of our skilled youth is provided with overseas employment opportunities it would be a great help to reduce our burden and shape up their career,” he said.

Mr Patchamuthu informed the CM that the World Bank had stopped funding coal-fired power generation projects primarily for environmental concerns, but he would take up the issue with the WB management to help Sindh in low-cost power generation.

Earlier, Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the WB was providing support in different projects of the agriculture sector, including the Rs112.360 million Sindh agriculture growth project.

He said that a Rs30 billion Sindh irrigated agriculture productivity enhancement project would be launched shortly.

Published in Dawn, October 6th , 2015

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