ISLAMABAD: Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government plans to award scholarships worth Rs12 billion during the current year.

While addressing the participants of the Global Development Workshop organised by the UK-Pakistan Science Inno­vation Global Network, a UK-based charity, Mr Chaudhry shed light on the progress of science and technology in Pakistan, saying that there are plans to soon introduce electric buses, making transportation less costly. “The budget of science and technology has been increased by 600 per cent,” he told the audience.

Furthermore, he claimed that Pakistan had prepared a cheaper kit for coronavirus detection, making it affordable to detect the Covid-19 virus in Pakistan.

Claims creation of cheaper kit for virus detection

He told the participants that Pakistan has partnered with the UK in the field of research. Fawad Chaudhry apprised the participants that the interaction of these international experts and scientists with President Dr Arif Alvi has been arranged on March 10.

The UK Research Institute’s (UKRI) Lead Professor Dr Nicola Lowe said that the UKRI had allocated £1.5 billion for research in partnership with low and middle-income countries to address challenges aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the Global Challenges Research Fund.

The UKRI is investing up to £200,000 (Rs40 million) on these workshops, she added.

The Global Development Workshop will end on March 11.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2020