Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that the tough decisions taken by government have started yielding positive results.
Ahsan Iqbal said the government is focusing on revival of the CPEC and Chinese investment is pouring into the Gwadar Free Zone at a rapid pace.
He expressed these words during an interview to a state news agency.The Minister said a Trade and Expo Centre has been completed in Gwadar in a record six-month time.
He said the second phase of Karakoram Highway and the Main Line-I project of Railways are also in progress.
Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the need to develop industries on modern lines, in order to steer the economy in the right direction.
He said the biggest challenge for the government is to meet the development budget in prevailing economic situation.
The Minister said in the next fiscal plan, the government will focus on projects that are near to completion.
Earlier, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said the government has been striving to enhance women’s participation in the workforce for national growth.
The minister made the remarks while chairing a meeting here, stressing that the required goals of national development and prosperity could not be achieved without the active participation of women, who constituted almost 50 percent of the country’s population.
He said economic development depended on providing women with maximum education and employment opportunities, while acknowledging that Pakistani women are achieving greater success in almost every field.
Iqbal said there is a need to provide more opportunities and encouragement to women.
He said that the incumbent government has been taking special measures for women to progress, prioritising equal education and employment opportunities for women.
University campuses are being set up even in remote areas to impart education to girls and multiple programs have been prepared in the information technology and industrial sectors, besides allocating 50 percent of the loan fund for women, he said.
In the upcoming federal budget, the minister said special measures are also being taken for women’s development and economic empowerment.—APP
