Uplift projects worth Rs 500 million in pipeline: NTU to be converted into world-class research institution: minister

Rana Farooq Saeed, Minister for Textile Industry, has said that development projects worth rupees 500 million are in the pipeline to transit the National Textile University, Faisalabad, into a world-class" Research Institution" and bring it at par with international universities imparting engineering education to students.
Rana Farooq Saeed was addressing at the annual dinner meeting at NTC here late Sunday night to bid farewell to BSc textile engineers who had completed their 4-year studies in 2009.
The minister said that NTU was indeed a "Mini Pakistan" where students selected from all over Pakistan on merit, including the Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan province. He said that President/Chancellor of the NTU, Asif Ali Zardari, was taking keen interest in the uplift of this University and had donated a sum of rupees 100 million for its development during his visit to University on January 18, besides approving one-month salary as bonus to faculty and staff members of the NTU on completion of its 50-year of inception and 50 percent concession in fees of its students.
The minister further said that President Asif Ali Zardari has also approved a plan for establishment of a "Fashion Designing Centre" at NTU Campus where the male and female students would be imparted training the Fashion Designing by the foreign teachers while talented students would also be sent abroad to get training in Fashion Designing. He announced that the research activities at NTU will further be accelerated.
The minister was optimistic that the load shedding problem in Faisalabad-the Hub of Textiles-would shortly be overcome and disclosed that under orders of President, Asif Ali Zardari, a 320MW power plant will be installed at Faisalabad and the gas load shedding in this city will also be redressed within a year.
The minister said that B.T. Cotton in Pakistan would also be sown to get a bumper cotton crop in the years to come. He said that last year Pakistan had got 11 million cotton bales, but during this year it exceeded 13 million bales despite heavy virus attacks. He was confident that after cultivation of B.T. Cotton, Pakistan will become a prosperous country and we will surely pay all of our foreign debts by export of surplus cotton. The minister lauded the efforts of Rector, Niaz Ahmed Akhtar, for a record development of the UTU during his first 6 months tenure . Later, he awarded prizes and shields to presidents of Spinning Society, Weaving Society, Chemical Society, Garment Society, Technical Textile Society and the Dramatic and Debating Clubs of the NTU.