Sindh's contribution in GDP is to the tune of $164 billion: Murad

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that Sindh being the second largest province of Pakistan and Karachi being its provincial capital is the economic and industrial hub of the country, contributing $164 billion of GDP as reported in 2019.

This he said while speaking at the 26th Annual General Body Meeting of Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) here at NED University of Engineering & Technology on Friday.

He said that he graduated from NED University, Karachi in 1986. "Being a part of the most prestigious, professional and prudent community of the country, I assure all my efforts for the betterment of the engineering profession," he said.

He congratulated PEC on successful conduct of AGM-2020 during this testing time of pandemic Covid-19 outbreak. Shah said that Sindh was the second largest province of Pakistan and Karachi being its provincial capital was the economic and industrial hub of the country, contributing $164 billion of GDP as reported in 2019. "This city accounts for almost half of the total collections of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) which is a substantial chunk of Sindh's GDP, around 95 percent," he said and added, "this contribution is attributed by engineers, industries and production activities including engineering services."

The CM said that PEC was the sole representative of engineering community in Pakistan which has already achieved significant milestones, including the membership of all prestigious international forums and became a vibrant professional body to regulate engineering profession, including engineering education in-line with international standards and best practices, towards professional development and achieving excellence in the profession.

"The recent visible role of PEC as tasked by Ministry of Science & Technology during Covid-19 pandemic for the establishment of required standards for electro-medical devices such as ventilator and constituting various research groups in universities and industry to come up with indigenous designs, developing innovation testing centre/Lab in PEC, product development, operational testing by experts and finally facilitating for serial production after the approval of clinical testing by DRAP is an amazing response to show-case capabilities by our engineers in a very short period of span," he said.

He said that today the PEC stood amongst the progressive professional bodies not only in the country but also of the developing world and rendering its mentoring guidance to Muslim Ummah and developing region, including Africa and central Asia. "I hope the resolutions adopted by 26th AGM will further bring necessary reforms for improvements in the on-going PEC agenda of betterment and facilitation to engineering profession and allied institutions and industry, emerging as one of leading professional bodies of the world," he said.

Murad Ali Shah said that all such initiatives and future proposals for the betterment of engineering fraternity and profession would be supported by the Sindh government to adopt and implement in relevant departments which could improve efficiency and effectiveness for better engineering services towards society.

Addressing the engineers present in the meeting, Shah said, "You all are witnessed that we have been complying such necessary regulations for all engineering positions inline with PEC Act 1976 after the clarity by the honourable Supreme Court," he said and added, "the Proposal of Technical Allowance for professional Engineers is being worked out in various provincial departments which will be a long awaited thoughtful step for the engineering community." He hoped this would raise further spirit among Engineers to contribute for the uplift of engineering profession and socio-economic development of Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020