HYDERABAD, Oct 14: The Sindh Minister for finance, planning and development Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has said that development programmes would be launched at taluka level and added that the government would soon issue a notification about the appointment of committees in this regard.

Presiding over a meeting of the Hyderabad development task force at Shahbaz Hall here on Saturday, he said that the economic revival committee for Sindh had chalked out a comprehensive development programme and added that this programme would be examined, approved and implemented by the elected representatives of the people.

He stressed that short term schemes must be initiated immediately. The minister stressed the need for reviving economic activities in Hyderabad through comprehensive planning.

He said that the government had decided to initiate development programmes in Hyderabad after Karachi to improve and revive its socio-economic activities. He said that he would take the industrialists of Hyderabad to Punjab to witness the development activities in that province.

The participants of the meeting apprised the minister about decrepit condition of roads and collapse of water supply and sewerage system in the city.

The minister informed the meeting that Rs500 million had been released to eliminate the problems of water supply and sewerage system and a master plan was also being prepared in this regard.

Those who attended the meeting included the district Nazim Hyderabad, Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, additional chief secretary Planning and Development Sindh, Shahzado Shaikh, vice chancellor of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro, Dr A R Memon, VC of ISRA University, Dr Asadullah Kazi, the office bearers of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Kotri Association of Trade and Industry and president of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, Syed Qamaruzzaman Shah.

IT: Sindh minister for finance, planning and development, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has said that it had become essential to pay due attention to information technology.

He was inaugurating the Allama I.I.Kazi institute of information here on Saturday.

He stressed the need for setting up more institutes of information technology and added that it would help improve standard of education and discover talented youth.

He said that without knowledge in information technology it was difficult to face the challenges of 21st century.

He said it was for the first time that recruitment in the Education Department had been made exclusively on the basis of merit.

Speaking on the occasion, additional chief secretary, planning and development, Shahzado Shaikh, said that there was no dearth of talent in the country and the only thing that was needed was to improve the quality of education.

Earlier, the administrator of the institute, Kazi Jehangir presented address of welcome to the minister.

The district Nazim Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman, DCO Hyderabad Tariq Ayub, EDO revenue Abdul Qadir Mangi and others attended the ceremony.

GST: Sindh Chamber of Agriculture has expressed concern over the illegal recovery of GST by the suppliers on fertilizers.