ISLAMABAD, Feb 8: The government has approved two major projects worth Rs3 billion relating to creation of endowment fund for engineering universities and a satellite programme to bring far-flung villages into tele-density.
This was announced by the science and technology minister, Prof Attaur Rehman, on Friday.
He was speaking at the certificate distribution ceremony of operational/troubleshooting training on atomic absorption spectroscopy.
The minister said the government had approved the projects to strengthen different engineering universities in the country and launch a VSAT programme. The projects have been approved by the CDWP.
He said he foresaw exciting days for Pakistan in the field of science and technology without which the country could never prosper and develop.
Prof Atta deplored that the expensive scientific equipment, imported from other countries, were not being properly put to use. He said brand new equipment like 300 megahertz spectroscopes and other items were imported and then left to decay.
He said due to the absence of a strong engineering base, the country could not develop as all major sectors, like building of ships, automobiles and machinery, were linked to this base.
He, however, appreciated the Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PSCIR) for reactivating equipment worth Rs2 billion at a cost of Rs100 million.
These equipment have been dumped for years in different departments, he added.
The minister said the total cost of the project was Rs1 billion under which the engineering university would be allowed to create endowment funds from Rs50 million to Rs190 million. He said the focus would be on producing engineers at the postgraduate level.
He deplored that the engineering universities of the country till date had just produced two PhDs.
The endowment scheme would also be extended to the agriculture universities and other public sector universities in future, he said.
The minister said the endowment project had been devised in such a way that constant financial support would be provided to the universities irrespective of which government came to power.
About the Rs2 billion VSAT project, he said the far-flung areas of Sindh, Balochistan and the Northern Areas would be brought under the internet through 300 units. Under the VSAT technology, internet and telecommunication facilities would be provided to link them up with the rest of the country.
“Through this project without which the villages could not be linked to the main cities even in 50 years would now be linked within six months,” Prof Atta said.
He said the government was also negotiating with the German government to establish Pak-German institute of technology to help specialize Pakistani students in different disciplines of engineering sciences, information technology and business development/entrepreneurship.
“We are proposing to produce through such institutes about 100 PhDs, 250 MScs and 1,000 BScs annually,” he said.
He said during his presentation to President Pervez Musharraf, he had emphasised that the development would never come through high yield in agriculture or tapping minerals but through knowledge. It was a knowledge-driven world where the GDP of small countries was more than the rich countries like Saudi Arabia, he added.
The minister said the relocation of Nust, that would cost Rs2 billion, was also being considered, and for this purpose a campus had already been acquired near Raiwind where classes would be started from March.
Earlier, the PCSIR chairman, Dr Anwarul Haq, said 156 postgraduate students had completed their PhD theses in PCSIR laboratories.