ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan is moving in the right direction with the policies aimed at bringing people out of poverty through wealth creation.
The Prime Minister said this on Friday while speaking at the launching ceremony of new vehicles being introduced in the country.
The Prime Minister said the government will incentivize the business community and the industrial sector that will lead to increasing exports. He said the wealth creation through exports will be used for uplift of the living standard of the ordinary people in the country.
Imran Khan said the government will focus on industrial development during the current year that will have a positive impact on economic growth. He said that the cement and textile sectors have recorded fast growth in the recent months. He said that 2021 will be the year of economic growth.
Giving an example of the construction sector, PM Imran Khan said an increase in cement sales was a clear sign that construction activity is on the rise. He said the textile industry too was producing at full capacity for the first time in many years, resulting in a "shortage of labour" in the sector.
The Prime Minister said his two major public welfare objectives during the current year are ensuring universal health coverage through the Health Card Scheme and launching an initiative under the Ehsaas Programme to make sure that no one goes to bed hungry.
Describing the Chinese model of development as the most suitable model for Pakistan, the Prime Minister said Pakistan desires to learn from China in industrial development and agriculture. The Prime Minister said that the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would lay emphasis on the agricultural sector. He regretted that the previous government had ignored the sector. "Pakistan is an agricultural country," he stressed.
He said the government is working with the Chinese officials on increasing agricultural products and using their methods. "The next phase of the CPEC includes boosting the agricultural sector."
The Premier once again admired China for its strategies and asserted that the Chinese model of development suits Pakistan's needs the best. "If we can learn from any one country in the world, it is China. Their development model suits Pakistan the best," he said. "The speed with which China developed in the last 30 years is something we can learn from." He added that Beijing had managed to prove that poverty alleviation is true development.
The Premier said that the government is keen on the relocation of Chinese industries to Pakistan "just like Vietnam". "For this purpose, we have launched special economic zones (SEZs). Next, we aim to convince them to export from Pakistan."
The Prime Minister said the government has dealt with the Covid-19 challenge in an effective manager. He said that Pakistan is among the few countries, which have been appreciated by the WHO for better handling the pandemic. He said, “We followed the policy of saving lives as well as the livelihood of people.”
Meanwhile in a series of tweets on Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the government is moving forward to make Pakistan a welfare state.
He said, “Our Ehsaas Programme provides social security and our health card scheme provides the poor with proper medical access.”
The Prime Minister said, “My New Year resolution for 2021 is to complete two projects. One, universal health coverage to all our citizens. It has begun in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and will soon be launched in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. We hope other provinces will replicate this programme. Second, we will also start our most ambitious nationwide project "Koi Bhuka Na Soye" under Ehsaas Programme."
He maintained that by the end of the year, these two projects will move the government closer to its goal of making Pakistan a welfare state.
About 2020, the Prime Minister said, “It was a tough year for us and for people across the world because of Covid-19. But by the grace of God, we fared far better than the most.” He added, “We not only managed to protect our people but also saved them from hunger.” TLTP