Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said that each and every project would be evaluated in line with the standards and targets, set under the ‘Uraan Pakistan’ programme to achieve sustainable economic growth before it became part of the Annual Development Plan ADP).
“Uraan Pakistan is not fiction or merely a book, but a reality, and its implementation has already begun. In the next development budget, only the projects that comply with the set growth targets will be included,” he said.
The minister made these remarks during a media briefing on the recently unveiled ‘Uraan Pakistan’ – the homegrown National Economic Plan (2024-29), a journey to a trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
Considering the scarcity of resources, he said that only projects linked with national development would be executed under the annual plans in the future, adding that the new programme had set priorities for a future journey toward progress and prosperity.
He urged all segments of society to play their due role in the journey of national economic development, offering new hope for a brighter future for the nation. “Success in the 21st century can only be achieved through economic development. Pakistan’s identity in the world is that of a hardworking and brilliant nation; it must be upheld and further consolidated.”
The minister spoke in detail about the 5Es (Exports, Equity and Empowerment, E-Pakistan, Environment & Climate Change, and Energy and Infrastructure) framework and the strategy for its successful implementation.
Commenting on ‘Exports,’ the minister said the biggest challenge Pakistan faces is directing its focus from domestic business to exports with value addition to products, achieving the target of $60 billion in exports by 2029, and eventually attaining the capability of $100 billion in the next eight years.—APP
