Caretaker Prime Minister Hazar Khan Khoso on Thursday said priority should be given to technical education so that youth can be productively employed and play a constructive role in progress and development of the country.
Khoso said this while reviewing the performance of the ministries of Human Resource Development and Overseas Pakistanis at the PM’s House.
Ministry of Human Resource Development Secretary Abdul Khaliq briefed Khoso on the functions, objectives and performance of the ministry.
He said that one of the functions of Human Resource Development was to work for the welfare of the working class. In this connection, the ministry was running Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) which finances the establishment of educational, health and housing facilities for the working class.
He said unlike other funds, the dispersion of the fund was made on need basis rather than the criteria of population. Due to the very reason, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan had benefitted more from the fund as compared to Sindh and Punjab where collection was more.
Khoso directed the Ministry of Human Resource Development that instead of constructing flats for labourers of Balochistan, they should consider single storey structures in keeping with the tribal culture and the vagaries of climate in Balochistan.
He said the WWF should invest more in the education sector as it makes all the difference.
Khoso said he belonged to a rural and remote area of Balochistan but was able to make a mark in life because of education.
The PM regretted that since education had become a business throughout the country it was beyond the reach of the poor and common man, especially those hailing from far flung areas of the country. He was also told that a hospital was being constructed in Naseerabad, Balochistan to cater to the requirements of the area.
The PM was told that the Ministry of Human Resource Development was planning to open polytechnic institutes in Sohbatpur, Manjipur, Lehri, Jhal Magsi and other remote areas of KP and Balochistan.
In her briefing, Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Foundation Talat Aftab Khan informed Khoso that the ministry was able to come up with the first ever national policy on overseas Pakistanis in a short period of one month during the care-taker government.
During the caretaker government, she said the ministry was able to successfully work for acceptance of right to vote for overseas Pakistanis which will come into effect from the next polls.
He approved the proposal made by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis to give award to an overseas Pakistani who would remit the highest amount of money, make investment in the country or contribute in any manner for the socio-economic development of the country.
Khoso ordered the institution of this award on regular basis to acknowledge the contribution made by the overseas Pakistanis.
The PM was also briefed about the activities of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation by its director Iftikhar Babar.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Foundation Barrister Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel and senior officials of the ministries of Human Resource Development and Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
