ISLAMABAD: In a bid to revitalize the spirit of federalism and promote economic and social development, Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting with provincial planning ministers.
This initiative marks a significant revival of the consultative sessions, started by the previous PMLN government in 2013-2018, aimed at harmonizing provincial economic policies with federal goals, said a press release.
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The meeting focused on aligning development projects with the Annual National Development Plan, optimizing utilization of allocated funds for higher education, and strategies for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the imperative of federal-provincial collaboration to address pressing challenges, including rapid population growth, healthcare sector deficiencies, and education sector shortcomings.
He stressed the need for collective efforts to achieve national development goals, particularly in the wake of the seventh census results, which predict a doubling of the population within 24-30 years.
The minister expressed concern over Pakistan’s lagging position in healthcare and education, citing issues like diabetes, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malnutrition, stunting, and out-of-school children. He directed the Federal Bureau of Statistics to collect data on out-of-school children and emphasized the need for federal-provincial collaboration in healthcare and education.
Despite fiscal constraints, the minister committed to funding federal universities through the Federal Government and Provincial universities through Provincial Governments. He acknowledged the brain-drain due to lack of incentives for university faculty and called for consultative workshops on the five-year plan, involving provinces, stakeholders, think tanks, and experts.
The minister reiterated the need for collective efforts to achieve national development goals, committing to hold monthly consultative meetings with Provincial Planning Ministers to ensure ongoing collaboration and progress.