LAHORE: The Punjab government and World Bank have agreed to promote cooperation for skill development in youth of the province and in education, health, agriculture, irrigation and other sectors.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while talking to new Country Director of World Bank in Pakistan Patchamuthu Illangovan, said that the Punjab government is implementing a comprehensive programme for speedy economic development of the province and revolutionary reforms have been introduced for the uplift of health and other social sectors.
He said that various programmes for the development of social sectors were successfully running in Punjab with the cooperation of World Bank. He said that youths were an asset of the nation and special attention was being paid to imparting them various skills. He said that a programme was being implemented with the cooperation of Punjab Skill Development Company and DFID. He asked the World Bank to consider provision of assistance for quality skill development of 0.5 million youths annually.
The chief minister said that targets had been fixed to increase the growth rate in the province for improving the living standard of the masses and no effort would be spared to increase the growth rate to 8 percent in Punjab till 2018. He said the government was implementing the policy of balanced development of urban and rural areas and development projects costing billions of rupees were being completed expeditiously in urban and rural areas.
Illangovan said that splendid measures had been taken in Punjab for the public welfare under dynamic leadership of Shahbaz Sharif. He said that World Bank would promote interaction with the Punjab government for socio-economic development while cooperation would continue in skill development sector. He said the Board of World Bank had appreciated citizen feedback programme in Punjab which was playing an important role in the provision of better public service. He said that under the leadership of the chief minister, more work had been undertaken in Punjab as compared to other provinces.
