ISLAMABAD, Sept 27: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has reviewed targets submitted by various ministries and directed them to take practical measures for achieving these goals.

The targets of the ministries of petroleum and natural resources, environment and urban development, social welfare and special education, population welfare, health and education were reviewed by the Prime Minister at a special meeting held here on Monday.

Federal ministers, ministers of states and secretaries presented their ministries' and departments' goals. The prime minister directed the ministry of petroleum and natural resources to restructure the Oil and Gas Development Corporation to drill more oil wells.

He instructed that adequate supply of LPG should be ensured and no artificial shortage be allowed to be created especially during the winter season. Mr Aziz also asked the OGDC to organise oil and gas conferences in London.

He ordered the reactivation and restructuring of the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation. During the review of the ministry of environment and urban development, the prime minister stressed the need for developing greater public awareness on environmental issues and ordered the restructuring of Environmental Protection Agency.

The ministry, he said, should try to focus on planning to provide clean drinking water. The prime minister directed the ministry of special education and social welfare to review laws governing NGOs and to make recommendations on juvenile justice system with a view to use Baitul Mal Funds effectively.

The ministry, he said, should examine the possibility of setting up centres of excellence. He directed the ministry of population welfare to benefit from the population control programmes of Muslim countries like Iran, Egypt and Bangladesh to check population growth, adding that more measures were required to create public awareness.

Rural areas and semi-urban areas, he said, should be focused for mass awareness campaigns and religious leaders should be involved in these campaigns. Mr Aziz said that benefits of development would be diluted if the population growth rate could not be reduced.

He said that the ministry of health should ensure quality of service in federal government hospitals, improve the quality and quantity of nurses, take appropriate preventive measures and focus more on primary healthcare. He said that measures should be taken to control HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

The prime minister directed that the Private Sector should be encouraged to produce graduate nurses to meet the domestic and foreign demand. The Ministry should come up with a comprehensive proposal for establishment of Drugs Regulatory Authority to focus on provision of quality medicines, he said.

He said: "Our objective is to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the public." The Prime Minister urged the ministry of education to boost vocational and technical training institutions in the public and private sectors. -APP