ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal Saturday said that the government has allocated Rs112 billion in the Budget-2022-23 for Balochistan and its top priority is to facilitate the students of Balochistan by giving them more opportunities in the field of education by offering more scholarships.

“The Ministry of Planning’s full support and commitment in the speediest implementation of projects in education and development sectors for Balochistan which remained neglected in the past. The incumbent government is resolved to address the challenges faced by the province and in this respect, the government has allocated Rs112 billion in the Budget 2022-23 for Balochistan,” the minister said in an Engagement Session with the students of Balochistan at the ministry on Saturday.

The students from various districts of Balochistan were invited by the minister in order to listen to their issues.

Acting Chairperson Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Shaista Suhail was also present on the occasion.

During the long participatory session that lasted over three hours, the students from various universities in Balochistan exchanged their views on the level of education and issues related to their aims for high-standard learning.

The minister appreciated their views and assured his full support despite, the tough financial situation in the country. “Despite the financial crunch in the country, we have increased the HEC’s budget to 68 percent which shows the determination of the government to raise the standard of education in the country,” the minister said.

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He said that for the first time in the history of Pakistan the government has started a project to uplift the 20 poorest districts of the country and Rs20 billion has been earmarked for this purpose. “We are conducting surveys to identify priority interventions in the poor districts that have not fared well in sectors like education, health, and livelihood,” the minister said.

He said, “The province of Balochistan has been the top priority of this government while chalking out and execution of development projects.”

Similarly, the minister also said the scope of the BISP will be extended to additional 500,000 households in Balochistan to uplift the standard of living of the poor in the province.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022