LAHORE, Oct 4: Governor Khalid Maqbool has approved conversion of Faisalabad Agriculture University’s four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine course into a composite five-year one.

He made the announcement while presiding over a meeting that was attended among others by Faisalabad Agriculture University vice-chancellor Dr Riaz Hussain Qureshi, Lahore’s University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences vice-chancellor Dr Manzoor Ahmad Qureshi, government officials, experts and businessmen related to milk-processing.

The decision would help produce experts in modern techniques of cattle-breeding and disease prevention, the meeting was informed.

The governor said better breeding of cattle and prevention of diseases among them could guarantee prosperity of millions of people in the rural areas. For the purpose, it was necessary to produce manpower that could provide guidance on the selection of best breed of cattle and its proper rearing.

The meeting decided to introduce special courses for those holding BSc animal husbandry degrees to allow them to obtain the composite DVM degree.

The governor said the government would consider stipends for such people besides extending the facility of education up to MSc and PhD in bio-sciences, fisheries and wildlife, animal production and technology, livestock economics and business management in the Faisalabad Agriculture University’s Faculty of Animal Husbandry.

Meanwhile, Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan chairman Dr Tariq Hassan called on the governor and apprised him of the progress regarding return of people’s forex deposits.