ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: The Prime Minister on Thursday constituted a Task Force on Poverty Alleviation and Employment Generation under the chairmanship of Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Minister for Privatisation, with the direction to submit its report to the Prime Minister, within a month.

The other members of the task force are: Dr Nasim Ashraf, NCHD; Dr Ishrat Hussain, Governor of SBP; Javed Sadiq Malik, Secretary of Planning and Development Division; Dr Waqar Masood Khan, Secretary of Economic Affairs Division; Dr Ashfaq Hasan Khan, Economic Advisor, Finance Division; Dr A.R. Kamal, Director of PIDE, Islamabad; Dr Nuzhat Ahmad, Director of Applied Economic Research Centre, Karachi; Chairman of Planning and Development Department, Government of Punjab; additional chief secretaries, Governments of Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan; and Shaukat Hayat Durrani, Additional Secretary to Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Islamabad.

From Private Sector, the following members have been selected:

Farid Rehman, Peshawar; Dr Akmal Hussain, Lahore; Dr Salman Shah, Lahore; Mr Shahid Kardar, Lahore; Dr Mustaq Mirani, Hyderabad; Ms Saadiqa Salahuddin, Karachil; and Malik Naeem Khan, Quetta;

The terms of reference of the Task Force on Poverty Alleviation is:

(i) To review the current state of poverty and unemployment in the country;

(ii) to assess the impact of public sector development and related programmes on employment generation and poverty alleviation;

(iii) to assess the government policies and programmes for poverty alleviation and employment generation through private sector development;

(iv) to suggest improvement and acceleration in the existing programmes, identify specific new initiatives and recommend implementation strategy.

The Task Force is empowered to co-opt any additional member as and when required.

The Prime Minister’s Secretariat shall provide the secretariat support to the Task Force.