Country should reduce dependence on external world.

ISLAMABAD, September 08, 2009 (Balochistan Times): Chairman Senate Committee on planning and development Professor Khurshid Ahmad urged country should generate its own resources besides reducing its dependence on foreign countries. He made these remarks while presiding over committee meeting here Tuesday. Javed Ashraf Qazi, Abdul Rahim Mandokhel, Sughra Imam, Rana Bhagwan Das, federal minister Makhdoom Shahab ud Din and secretary planning commission attended the meeting. Chairman committee stressed planning commission should have a larger vision so that the requirements of people could be met. We have to reduce dependence on foreign world and generate our own resources, he added. Planning commission keeps into view the priorities of external institutions on the occasion of formulation of projects, he regretted We will have to focus on education and health sectors, he urged. Education was in miserable condition in public sector, he said adding lack of educational facilities, non appointment of teachers in schools and drop out of students are the major causes behind this factor. Secretary planning commission gave detailed briefing to the committee with reference to the ministry and told in the report that only 1.8 percent projects initiated under the planning commission could be completed in time, 1.9 percent were completed with the delay of one year and over 67 percent projects were completed with the delay of more than one year. Lack of good governance and lack of timely provision of funds had led to delay in the completion of the projects, he underlined.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)