CM stresses importance of alternative energy sources

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif while talking to various district assembly members on Monday, said the youth is a valuable asset for the country and that Pakistan could progress by providing them modern knowledge. He stated that the Punjab government was pursuing a comprehensive strategy to spread quality education throughout the province. He said the establishment of the Knowledge City and the Information Technology University were important for the promotion of modern education. Talking to the elected representatives, the CM said all resources were being utilised to provide basic amenities to the masses and the rapid development of the province. He added that the backward areas had been paid special attention to bring them to par with the developed areas.
He said that a large amount of funds had been allocated for the development of southern Punjab and that billions of rupees worth of development projects had been initiated in the area. Daanish schools and mobile health units, equipped with modern facilities, had been launched in those areas. He stated that transparency was the Punjab government’s hallmark. Transparent utilisation of public money had been ensured in the implementation of the development projects, which were proof of the government’s commitment to quality and transparency. Sharif said incompetent and corrupt rulers had ruined the country through their policies. National institutions were on the verge of destruction and the country had been plunged into darkness.
He added that the industrial sector was suffering huge losses due to the gas load-shedding, because of which 40 lakh daily wager-earners and more than a billion labourers had been affected. He also said the decisions taken at last year’s Islamabad energy summit were not implemented. He added that instead of finding alternative resources of generating energy, the government had, in collaboration with industrialists, opted for rental power plants, resulting in a severe energy crisis. He said the energy crisis could be overcome by exploring alternative energy sources like bagasse form sugarcane and the vast coal reserves in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan. The Chief Minister stated that the government would object to the discriminatory attitude adopted with Punjab regarding gas load-shedding.