Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani will arrive here today (April 11) on one day visit of Multan. He will attend an inaugural ceremony of project of Multan Airport expansion & upgradation, groundbreaking ceremony of Multan-Faisalabad Motorway and Aimen Wala Bridge at Jalalpur Pirwala.
The Prime Minister has approved a project to revive the handicrafts, cultural heritage and civilisation of Multan, the ancient city of the world, by patronising the blue pottery, camel skin decoration pieces, and mud-pottery with the collaboration and financial assistance of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
Gilani would formally announce these projects for imparting training to youth in different traditional trades. MCCI President Anis Ahmed Sheikh said, "we would produce the young experts in camel skin crafts, blue pottery, mud pottery etc to preserve this dying cultural heritage.
He said that Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (One Place, One Product) project envisages to study and emulate OVOP (One Village, One Product) of Japan and other similar programmes for income generation of rural and urban population with a view to identifying the best practices and adopt the same for design and implementation of rural enterprise modernisation initiative of the government of Pakistans AHAN programme, keeping in perspective the overall policy to use the private sector as the engine for rural enterprise development.
Anis Ahmed Sheikh said that primary objective of Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN)/Rural Enterprise Modernisation Project is to reduce poverty by supporting employment generation activities, economic growth and enhancing competitiveness of the micro and small business in rural areas.
The project envisages enabling the rural business to access a range of business development services, including appropriate technologies and financial capital. The direct benefits are expected to flow from increased employment and income earning opportunities in the rural areas, particularly for wage earners, women and poor producer groups with potential to engage in a higher level of commercial activity.
It is expected that through these measures there will be increased value-addition in the products, improved commercial linkages between rural MSEs and the larger urban business. Increased demand for goods and services will add to overall benefits. He said that 25 youths would be trained in camel skin trade with the technical guidance and training by AHAN experts.
Naveed Ahmed Sheikh, Regional Co-ordinator of AHAN said we had developed five diagnostic studies ie, Lacquer Work Cluster, Sillanwali, Balochi Chapal Cluster, Quetta, Handmade Items Cluster, Karachi, Hand and Power Loom Cluster, Matha Mughal Khel, Blue Pottery & Camel Skin in Multan.
He said that AHAN was serving for the development & implementation of marketing strategy including market analysis, product selection, brand development, promotional campaign, test marketing and distribution system for rural non-farm products of Pakistan enterprises development support in rural areas. Management of resources capacities includes production management, quality assurance, supply product chain management for rural enterprises and clusters.
Management of design and technological development of products targeted by the programme includes contracts and proforma agreement, development patents and technology, procedures for product development and quality assurance. Imran Cheema of AHAN Multan, Mian Mughis Ahmed Shaikh former president of MCCI, Abdul Rehman Naqqash, Ms Sanam (designer), Muhammad Wajid, Anwar Salim Keen, Shamshad Jafari also discussed on the projects.
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