AT the instance of the Ministry of Science and Technology (S&T), the Federal Cabinet has approved two important proposals that will have salutary impact on the overall economy of the country. It granted permission for local assembly of electric buses and their manufacturing would start in three years. Similarly, the Cabinet approved the production of industrial hemp by the government in a decision that, in the words of Minister Fawad Chaudhry, could result in a $1 billion market for Pakistan in the future.
These and some other recent developments including local manufacturing of ventilators clearly show that the Ministry of Science and Technology has the potential to play its due role in scientific and technological development of the country. It proved this by initiating a number of projects during tenure of Dr. Attaur Rehman but subsequently many of them were shelved due to lack of vision and non-allocation of required resources. Incumbent Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry remains in the limelight mostly for his interesting political statements and remarks but recent initiatives prove he is not sitting idly in the Ministry where medium and long-term planning is underway to tap potential for progress and development in different areas. The Minister has rightly pointed out that introduction of electric vehicles would bring about a revolution in transport sector. This is because fuel import bill is likely to increase with the passage of time, straining already tight foreign exchange position while there is urgent need to take measures to tackle environmental pollution. The investment in the sector would also generate more economic activity and employment. Cultivation of hemp for industrial and medical purposes, as is done by some other countries, is also a visionary approach and hopefully the plan would be implemented in its right perspective.
