ISLAMABAD, March 29: The government is making concerted efforts to modernize communications network in the country, said federal communications secretary Iftikhar Rashid.

Presiding over a meeting of Shipping Department and National Tankers Company (NTC) at the ministry here on Friday he said, the shipping sector performed a vital role in economic uplift and it was vital to further improve the performance of this sector.

The secretary said it was encouraging that the NTC controlled its deficit and earned profit of Rs38 million.

He said, there were vast opportunities of participation of private sector in shipping development project and all the possible facilities would be provided to the investors according to rules and regulations.

The chairman, PNSC, Admiral Tauqeer Naqvi, said measures were being adopted to improve the working of NTC.

He said the NTC arranged supplies of cargo of 5 million tons per annum to Saudi Arabia and Iran. He said, the NTC would spend Rs1.4 billion on development of shipping sector.

The chairman said the NTC was being developed as per requirements of the percentage and performance of this department was increasing day by day.