KARACHI: The Sindh government moves ahead with its plan to revive the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) as Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday sought Russian assistance for the ambitious project under which a new plant would replace the aging infrastructure.

In July, the federal government had decided to shut down the state-owned enterprise that has been incurring heavy financial losses for decades. However, the Sindh government had asked the Centre to allow it to revive the PSM on a public-private partnership mode so that a national asset could be utilised for employment and economic development. The federal government had permitted the provincial government to take over 700 acres of the total 19,000 acres of the PSM land and establish its own steel plant on the site.

“Efforts to revive PSM are making progress as an online meeting is scheduled for next week between Pakistani experts and representatives from Russia,” said CM Shah during a meeting with Ambassador of Russian Federation to Pakistan Albert Khorev, who called on him at the CM House on Monday.

The CM said that the online meeting would be followed by an on-site visit from a Russian delegation to the PSM. “This marks a significant advancement in the mill’s restoration,” he said, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

Murad, Russian envoy discuss installation of new plant; online meeting between experts of two countries next week

On Monday, CM Shah told the Russian envoy that the Pakistan Peoples Party had a strong commitment towards the revival of PSM, which was built during the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in collaboration with Moscow.

The statement said that the Russian ambassador informed the CM that the upcoming online meeting would involve discussions on the technical aspects of the project. Following this, the Russian delegation will visit the PSM for further assessments, he added.

Both Mr Shah and Ambassador Khorev discussed the installation of a modern plant to replace the outdated infrastructure. They agreed that the revival of the mill would restore employment for its workers, the statement added.

Task force on population growth

CM Shah said that the 2023 digital census indicated a national population surge, with an annual growth rate of 2.55 per cent, which brings Pakistan’s population to 241 million.

“Sindh alone has grown to over 55 million people, although officials suspect that the census data may have undercounted the actual figures,” he said while chairing a meeting of the Task Force on Population Growth to follow up on key action taken on decisions previously set forth by Council of Common Interests (CCI) and the Supreme Court.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers and secretaries, representatives of UNFPA, USAID, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others.

Mr Shah identified two key drivers of the population growth — high birth rates and significant migration from both within Pakistan and abroad. “This trend places intense pressure on the province’s limited resources, impacting job availability, healthcare, education, housing, and food supply,” he added.

Despite these challenges, he highlighted his government’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the socio-economic effects of rapid population growth.

The task force reaffirmed its commitment to advancing family planning and population welfare initiatives in Sindh.

The chief minister emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts from all stakeholders to address the challenges posed by rapid population growth and to ensure a sustainable future for Sindh.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2024