ISLAMABAD: The government is ready to support the country’s youth in startups as they are s the biggest asset of Pakistan and their role is important for the development of the country.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar while addressing the Youth Convention on Tuesday.
He said that he expects from the youth to set an example for others and work for the betterment of the nation.
Dar added that a special investment council, Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), has been formed and one of its important aspect is to empower the youth as 65 percent young population is Pakistan’s biggest asset.
He said that the SIFC will play an important role in connecting the youth to various opportunities so as to enable them to not only become jobs-takers but also give jobs to others.
Dar said that there is a lot of potential in this country, the world is changing and the future belongs to those who adapt to the demands of the new era, adding Pakistan needs young people who think beyond the traditional status quo and are not afraid to challenge it.
He said that education has been the first priority of the government and it tried to allocate from its meagre resources as much as possible for the education. He urged the students to get benefit from the education not only in the class but also outside the class. He said that education is the only weapon which can be used to change the world.
Dar said that the unity is strength of Pakistan and this strength is the future of the country. He said that there should be no resentment towards ‘mother’: you cannot be angry with the country. You can have differences or difference of opinion and demands and have the right to present them to any government but “my message to the gathering is that terrorism is not acceptable in the name of resentment”. He added that this is what everyone needs to think with clarity not to get trapped because sometimes youth and children get trapped by emotions. He said that he was a clear-minded person and he thinks that the extremism should not be allowed. He said that when his party came into power in 2013 their manifesto was to eliminate extremism, fix the economy and end load-shedding.
Minister for Energy Owais Leghari, while speaking on the occasion, said that a 2-hour load-shedding can save Rs50 billion. He said that Pakistan’s installed capacity is 39,000-MW and government is making capacity payment of 35,000-MW and average electricity being used during the entire year is 7,000-MW.
The federal minister said that reforms in the energy sector are inevitable and there is no doubt that rates of electricity in Pakistan are not only exorbitant but also very expensive in the region.
He said that 1,845-MW is always available in the system to provide 85-hour electricity that cost Rs50 billion and 2-hour load shedding can save this amount. He added that the capacity payment is made to avert load-shedding.
The minister said that the reason for this variation of using 7,000-MW in winter and 24,000-MW in summer for only 80 hours and rest of electricity remains idle. The minister said 9,000-MW electricity is being used by the inefficient fans when there are 30-watt efficient fans available. The government plan would be to motivate efficient use of these fans so that the electricity’s demand decreases in summer and increases in winter to ensure that less electricity remain idle.
This idle power would be used in industrialisation and the prime minister has recently taken up the issue of relocation of Chinese industries to Pakistan, he said.
Leghari said that when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government came into power in 2013, the government installed new plants to overcome the load-shedding and at that time the price of the US dollar was at Rs100 and the burden of capacity charges on the consumer was Rs10 per unit.
The minister added; however, with the increase of US dollar value to Rs200 coupled with the increase in interest, the capacity charges also increased to Rs14 per unit, and added that when the dollar further increased to Rs285 to Rs300, the capacity charges increased to Rs18 per unit.
He said that if the dollar and interest rates are kept at the level of 2018, the electricity bills would be at Rs8 per unit which means the consumers would have to bear Rs900 billion less burden annually. He said this huge payment is picked up by the Finance Ministry through taxes.
The energy minister said that today, commercial consumers are paying Rs75 to Rs77 per unit, and they are paying Rs30 extra for the poor consumers. He said the industry of Pakistan was bearing the burden of Rs244 billion annually and it was becoming uncompetitive and thus being closing down.
The minister also explained to the youth that as the temperature increases above 40 degrees, the power generation decreases by 300 to 400-MW besides plants have to shut down for a few days for maintenance, as well.
The minister said that 3,831-MW are kept in the system in order to avert 874 hours of load shedding, adding that there are 8,760 hours in a year and if 10 percent load shedding can save Rs100 billion capacity payment, 974 hours’ load shedding annually can save another Rs100 billion. “The more industrial usage increases, the better would be load utilisation and your costs would come down.”
Leghari said that five companies in Islamabad and Punjab have a billing of Rs3,107 billion, in which, there is only a loss of Rs100 billion. In Peshawar, FATA, tribal districts, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Quetta, total billing is of 1,100 billion and there is a loss of Rs400 billion. These are the areas of losses that the government has to hit and cover the losses by improving the governance of distribution companies.
He said that when the ministry was handed over to him he started working quietly on IPPs and when this was leaked all jumped into the bandwagon for political benefits. They put pressure on the IPPs.
He said that some agreements are guaranteed globally, and government has to improve by convincing the IPPs to stay within the agreements. He said that government will give good news soon regarding the IPPs in a month or two. He said that a taskforce has been constituted and will give results in a couple of months.
He said that in the next 10 years, 18,000 megawatts of electricity will be coming into the system, and we have to decide whether this should be generated by water at Rs30 or Rs20 per unit or by solar energy at Rs11 per unit. These are the questions that are being seriously considered, he added. He said that domestic consumers are paying 18 percent tax on electricity and this has to be rationalised.
Minister for Petroleum Dr Musadik Masood Malik, while addressing the event, said that the government is committed to welfare of the youth as they are the future of the country. He urged the youth to always listen to their hearts and take charge of the country. “The future of the country is in the hands of the youth. “You are the future of the country. Take charge of the future and our collective destination; you are Pakistan.”
He highlighted that 50 percent of the population is comprised of youth, and without their participation, the country cannot progress.
The minister said that the youth of the country are currently playing a vital role in its progress, and they can lead in every sector, including sports.
Dr Musadik also shared personal experiences with the participants of the convention.
Addressing the event, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that youth are the biggest asset of Pakistan as they have a very important role in the uplift of the country.
She said that the government will extend every possible support to the youth, adding that it is pivotal to empower youth for the country’s development.
She said the present government is focused upon equipping youth with latest digital skills. She said over Rs4 billion will be spent this year for youth skills’ development. She said about 4.5 million youth have been trained through Digi-Skills Program up till now, urging youth to get benefit from this programme.
She said today, information technology has a very important role in every sector, adding that either it is economy or security or any other department, all are transferring upon IT. She said that IT Park is being built in Islamabad with the cooperation of Korean government. Great number of job opportunities will be created through Islamabad IT Park, she added. After Islamabad, second IT Park will be built in Karachi, she said.
She said e-Rozgar Centres will be opened through public-private partnership across the country.
About digitalisation, Khawaja said that robust steps are underway for digital transformation in the country. Islamabad will be made a model digital city first of all as it will be taken as pilot project, she maintained. She also urged youth to play their role in today’s tech revolution. Joints efforts are needed for the development of Pakistan and we jointly have to take this country forward, she said.
She emphasised upon the responsible use of media, saying that even a single fake news negatively impacts the perception of the entire country. She highlighted the government’s efforts to partner with tech giants such as Google and Meta to provide certifications for children and mentioned the launch of the Bridge Start Programme, with a budget of Rs1 billion to support innovative projects.
She announced that Islamabad would be made a “Model Digital Smart City,” with 150 app-based services available to facilitate the residents of the federal capital. E-parking will be introduced, and more AI-integrated smart cameras will be installed to monitor street crime and provide better traffic management for travellers. This experience will be replicated in other cities, she added. She said that schools in the federal capital would be provided with internet facilities, smart +classrooms, and future-oriented curricula. Next year, Pakistan plans to auction the 5G spectrum in the first and second quarters.
Rana Mashood, chairman of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme said that national youth convention will provide a platform for the development of the country.
The minister asked the youth to be aware of the “enemies within” who wanted to harm the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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