LAHORE, June 15: The Punjab government will generate one million sustainable jobs during the next fiscal year in order to reverse the growing poverty and unemployment.
Of these new jobs, some 15 per cent or 150,000 will be created by the public sector and the rest by the private sector. "The government will create some 30,000 jobs in the education, vocational training, health, agriculture extension, and access to justice sectors.
Another 120,000 will be generated through public sector development programmes," Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said at a pre-budget briefing on Tuesday. Answering a question about the temporary nature of the jobs to be created through public sector programmes, the chief minister maintained the Punjab government would continue to increase development spending each year to take care of the "temporary nature" of these jobs.
"Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz has indicated to create one million jobs all over the country during the next fiscal year, we're going to generate as many jobs in the Punjab alone," he said.
Mr Pervaiz said he envisioned "total eradication of unemployment in the province in the next 15 years". "To attain this objective, we will continue to focus and invest in the four pillars of the provincial economy, that is, agriculture, manufacturing, services and mineral and natural resources," he said.
"The government intends to encourage the private sector by putting in place policies and strategies which will ensure establishment of new industries. Similarly, we'd enhance public spending in agriculture research, extension services, irrigation, water management and development of forests," he said.
He said his government would also focus on the development of natural resources and boost the services sector. "With a view to promote the services sector which contributes over 50 per cent to the provincial GDP, the government plans to give incentives to the housing and construction sector, encourage tourism, hotel and resort development, improve communication and transport services, and promote wholesale and retail trade."
"These measures will create a conducive investment environment for the private sector and help generate new jobs," he said. Besides, he said, he wanted to make Punjab 100 per cent literate in 15 years, and encourage technical education to supply skilled manpower for industry, agriculture as well as other sectors of the provincial economy.
The chief minister also announced provision of free books to the students of class I-VIII next fiscal year. "This year, the Punjab government has provided free textbooks to the students of primary classes. In 2005-06, the scope of this scheme will be extended up to class X," he said.
He said the initiatives taken by his government had "increased school enrolment by seven per cent - 524,000 to be exact - thus largely arresting the dropout rate in the province".
He said "all missing facilities in government schools, where only the poor send their children, will be provided in addition to upgradation of all middle schools as high schools in three years".
Mr Pervaiz also lauded President Gen Pervez Musharraf's economic policies that had helped stabilize the national economy and bring it out of a near-collapse situation.