Shaukat assures Farmers in Pakistan of all-out support
Pakistan Times Staff Report

MULTAN: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday called upon the people to elect honest and dedicated persons in the local bodies elections this year and general elections in the year 2007. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating work of Sher Shah bridge to be completed at a cost of Rs 1.023 billion, on Chenab river, some 20 km from here.

Chief Minister Punjab Ch. Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Federal Minister for Industries Jahangir Khan Tareen, Federal Minister for Communications Shamim Siddiqui, Minister of State for Communications Engineer Shahid Jamil Qureshi and National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Maj Gen (r) Farrukh Javed were also present on the occasion.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the incumbent government has put the country on the road to progress and development. He said the government has curbed pilferage of public money and stressed that to sustain this healthy trend it was imperative that honest people are elected in the local bodies and general elections. Prime Minister said the four-lane 1095 metre-long dual carriageway Sher Shah Bridge will not only link South Punjab with Balochistan, but will also open up new avenues of development and prosperity in the area.

The project will be completed within two years.

Shaukat Aziz Saturday said the country’s infrastructure was being modernized to meet growing economic needs and to serve as a hub of trade activity for the Central Asian Republics.

He said, “Pakistan’s strategic location is a natural passage to South, Central, West and East Asia, Middle East and China,” he said.

He said a world-class road network would boost country’s economy and provide an easier access to the flow of trade between various regions.

The PSDP

He said 59 per cent of the Public Sector Development Programme has been earmarked for improvement of the infrastructure in the country. The National Highway Authority has also been provided Rs 17 billion during the current year to improve the road network.

The Prime Minister said the road network in the country would bring development to the neglected areas of the country, generating economic activity, providing jobs and reducing poverty.

Prime Minister said the 1095 meter bridge will connect Punjab with Balochistan on the Multan-D.G.Khan-Loralai-Qila Saifullah highway, while the NHA would also repair the existing century old bridge.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz referring to the government’s economic policies, initiated by President Musharraf, said they have started yielding results.

He said Pakistan would be in the top ten Asian countries in terms of economic growth with a growth rate of 7 per cent and agricultural growth of 5 per cent.

He said the banks have extended Rs 73 billion agriculture credit in the past nine months and the focus is now on increasing productivity, better water management and land levelling.

All these measures, he said have led to bumper crops of wheat and cotton. He said the high growth in agriculture and economy would lead to construction of more educational institutions, health facilities and raise the standard of living of the people.

The Prime Minister however pointed at the need for building more reservoirs for storage of water and said Pakistan needs to adopt the model of preserving water for three to five years instead of the existing capacity of one year only.

He said the provincial governments have been asked to initiate the crop insurance scheme so that the effects of drought and rains are mitigated.

Policy on Livestock

A comprehensive policy for livestock and fisheries, he said, was also on the anvil to provide additional income to the small farmers. He said micro-credit was being extended to the farmers through Khushali Bank, micro-credit banks and organisations.

He announced that the Khushal (proesperous) Pakistan project would soon be revived to provide clean drinking water at a cost of Rs 2.5 billion, electricity, roads and gas across the country.

The government, he said, was also working to provide speedy justice to the people. “We want to protect them from the excesses and injustices of the system,” he added.

Prime Minister Aziz said the government would continue its policies and reforms so as to build country’s reserves and expand its assets.

Addressing a gathering of growers after the ‘bridge ceremony’ Shaukat Aziz said all time high cotton production and expected bumper wheat crop would pump in 60 billion rupees in the rural economy which would benefit the growers in the form of increased earnings this year.

He said this while addressing a big gathering of growers after inaugurating the wheat harvesting in Punjab in an under-developed area of southern Punjab.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, as token gesture, cut the golden crop with a sickle here at Rabbani agriculture farms in Khar Gharbi area of tehsil Kot Addu, district muzaffargarh, some 70 kilometres off here. Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Agriculture Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Federal Minister for Industries Jehangir Khan Tareen, Federal Minister for Railways Shamim Siddiqui, Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, MNAs were also present.

Prime Minister said that country’s farmers fetched a record 15 million bales produce of cotton this year and hoped the country would harvest a bumper wheat crop which might cross the target production of 22 million tonnes grain.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the present government was committed to improving the quality of life of the growers and pointed out that highest ever loan disbursement was made this year by the banks in agriculture sector. He thanked The Almighty for bumper cotton crop adding that when he took over as the Prime Minister, the very first meeting he presided over was held to discuss the water shortage. Heavy rains this year brought the much needed irrigation water for crops giving record yield of cotton that was almost 50 per cent higher than the last year, he added.

Shaukat Aziz recalled that during his last visit to Masjid-e-Nabvi in Madina Sharif, a special prayer was led by Imam Masjid-e-Nabvi on his request for rain. People throughout the country also prayed for rain and it did happen by the Grace of Allah.

The Prime Minister said that the record highest cotton yield of fifteen million bales and expected bumper crop of 22 million tons or above will result in Rs 60 billion earning to farmers that will improve their quality of life. They will be able to offer better education to their sons and daughters and the same would leave an overall good impact on rural life, he added.

He said that pesticide adulterators would be given tougher punishments and assued that fertilizers would be available in desired quantity in the markets along with monitoring their prices. He announced that government would pump in as much funds as it can to develop the rural areas.

Khushhal Pakistan

He disclosed that the government has decided to revive the Khushhal Pakistan Programme (KPP) under which clean drinking water would be made available to the people at all tehsils, besides provision of gas and road-infrastructure uplift.

He said a bill has been tabled in the national assembly for reforms in judicial system while police reforms were being implemented to ensure speedy and inexpensive justice to the people.

Prime Minister urged the people to vote in favour of those candidates who take interest in uplift of their respective areas like development of health and education sector.

On demands from Minister of State for Economic Affairs Ms Hina Rabbani Khar, the Prime Minister said that the government has also fulfilled its promises regarding uplifting of under-developed areas in past and added the federal and provincial governments would continue this process for establishment of roads, electrification of villages and good quality education.

Shaukat Aziz disclosed that government would also launch a programme to produce skilled and educated people to enable them become earning hands for their respective families. The PM noted with concern that many educated people were unable to get jobs for they do not have any skill but government is going to transform them into skillful earning hands through training in different disciplines.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz lauded growers for their enthusiasm that led to higher productions of cash crops and added that federal government would ensure that growers get due price of their produce without any delay.

Chief Minister Punjab

Earlier, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, addressing the gathering, pledged that government would not let the wheat price go below the support price level of Rs 400 per maund. Government would purchase wheat from growers till the last grain, he added.

He said agriculture was the backbone of the economy and added that government would use all resources to ensure relief to the growers. “Agriculture is our prime focus”, he added.

“That was why government brought down interest rates on agriculture credit from 14 per cent to nine per cent only, he said and referred to agriculture package that had been announced by the President Pervez Musharraf.

About duration of government’s revolutionary reforms in education sector, he said it has been enhanced from three years to ten years to continue the process and to benefit more and more people in Punjab for further enhancing literacy rate.●