Three best researchers of NWFP for the year 2009 were awarded cash awards of Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 under the aegis of Academia Industry Government Roundtable which was the first event of the organisation since its establishment 7 months back.
The NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani, who is the patron of the organisation himself sponsored the awards and hosted the ceremony at the Governor's House, on Friday. Dr Arshad Hussain was adjudged the best researcher for his excellent achievements in the sector of "Industrial Importance" while Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti and Waqarul Hassan achieved the second and third positions in the fields of Food Processing Engineering and Low Industry and Pharmaceutical Industry, respectively.
Special awards were also given to the renowned writer Professor Taha Khan, Professor Khaqan and Arbab Hoti. Felicitating the award winners for their best services to the humanity, the Governor also highly eulogised the AIGR for its contribution in holding useful pursuit of knowledge.
"This is a very appreciable initiative and I am confidant it will be maintained as a regular feature to promote knowledge and achieve self-sufficiency in future", he said. In fact, the Governor said, we should go in a major way to work for science, refocus on the efforts for development of research and regain the lost status.
Appreciating the services of Engineer Zahid Arif, Chairman and Khalid Khan Durrani, Secretary of AIGR for their achievements in a very short span of time, Ghani said, indeed, this is a very serious effort too to bring a real change in development process of science and technology and the organisation is moving correctly.
In this connection, the Governor particularly referred to the services of the Peshawar chapter of PCSIR Laboratories and said its products really need to be commercialised. This is a good beginning, which in future would have a better impact on the over all life in the society, the Governor said. Revival of the society and economy, he added, is a huge and challenging task and there exists lot of expectations from this organisation.
The Governor also mentioned the MOU recently concluded between AIGR and a private foreign concern FINCON and expressed the confidence that it would prove a great experience in achievements of its goals. "Without good and skilled manpower, having sufficient knowledge in their respective disciplines is must to achieve the desired targets, as for as knowledge based economy is concerned, the Governor said. Therefore, he added, the sector of technology has to be developed on fast track basis.
He also assured to continue sponsoring research activities of the AIGR in future too. Owais Ahmed Ghani also highly eulogised the contribution of the Evaluation Committee of AIGR for compiling its recommendations within the shortest possible time.
The minister for Science & Information Technology Mohammad Ayub Asharrai and Secretary of the department Aurangzeb Khan while addressing on this occasion said, "the department has successfully brought the universities, research institutions and the industrialists at a single platform and it is their utmost endeavour to make their effort fully useful. Our achievements, he added, speaks the reality that we are heading forward in the correct direction.
Chairman, AIGR Engr. Zahid Arif welcoming the guests said "we have leading industrialists at this forum along us and we have not only achieved the set targets for the said period but are also heading forward beyond our expectations".
More projects, he added, are also in the pipeline and efforts are underway to develop 5-year road map to make the efforts of AIGR fully materialised. Apart from Research and development, Zahid Arif revealed, a proposal is also under consideration to give similar awards for best innovations every year in the province as well.
Earlier, the Governor formally gave away the awards. The ceremony was also attended by vice chancellors of public and private sector universities, senior authorities of Peshawar based branch of PCSIR Laboratories and heads of various institutions.
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