ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Wednesday observed that many of its recommendations it gave in the last three years for the improvement of departments working under the ministry had not been implemented.

“We have observed that the pace of progress by the Ministry of Science and Technology (S&T) has been slow. The 17 departments under it were only salary paying centres,” said the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, who was chairing the last meeting of the committee as its tenure has come to an end.

Mushtaq Ahmad observed his committee had passed 227 recommendations.

While officials from the ministry tried to pacify the committee members by saying that all the recommendations had been implemented, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad said: “Not to the satisfaction of the committee members.”

While PTI Senator Noman Wazir also felt that the ministry failed to implement the committee’s 227 directives. “The attitude of the bureaucracy cannot be changed,” he added. Recommendations of the committee included improvements in administration and ensuring transparency in the 17 departments working under the ministry.

Committee observed that initially 12 departments out of 17 were without heads. Later, most of the positions had been filled, but four departments still had no leaders to run them.

Similarly, the committee chairman said that despite inquiries since past one year not a single person had been held accountable for rampant corruption in Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).

Also, the committee noted that some projects, which should have been completed two years ago, were still lying unfinished. The committee chairman was also critical of poor performance of PSQCA that did little to prevent water supplying companies from selling “dirty” bottled water to consumers.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that his office had to struggle with insufficient budget, which was less than 2.8pc of the gross domestic product (GDP) when he took over. “Covid-19 also hindered progress,” he said.

“However, progress has been made. Pakistan is now manufacturing all items used to fight coronavirus from hand sanitizers to ventilators,” he informed the committee.

He also informed the committee that the budget for research and development had been increased to Rs16 billion, institutions were being strengthened, boards of institutions had been completed.

The committee was informed that Rs2 billion were being allocated for the university to be set up in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and Rs390 million will be spent on the feasibility of the university. The feasibility of the university was being worked out and it would take six years to set up.

In another agenda item proposed by Senator Noman Wazir, in which he pointed out how energy consumption could be improved across the country.

He said the demand for electricity in summer is 23,000MW which was reduced to 6,000MW in winter. “Our air conditioners consume 8,000 MW of electricity in summer while our fans consume 9,000 MW of electricity.

Pakistani fans take 80 to 100 volts while world class fans take only 20 to 30 volts. “We can save 6,000 megawatts of electricity in summer by using air conditioners and inverter fans,” the Senator suggested. He asked the Ministry of Science and Technology to prepare PC-1 in this regard.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2021