Punjab Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar commended the efforts of the Punjab Planning and Development Department and stressed implementation of a comprehensive policy notwithstanding Punjab was on the right track for achieving economic prosperity. The political leadership has to play a positive role in fighting the issue at the grassroots level.
The minister was addressing the consultative session on food security and nutrition strategic review jointly organised by the United Nations Pakistan and the Punjab Planning and Development Department to identify the scope of problems and suggest recommendations for their possible solutions. Chairman P&D Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan welcomed the participants and emphasised on the importance of a collective and collaborative approach to fighting malnutrition and stunted growth in the province. He said the ultimate goal of the strategic review was not merely identification of policy but the implementation of effective solutions.
Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Shamail Ahmad Khuwaja said that the government had now shifted its focus on social sectors. Member P&D Dr Shabana Haider said the Punjab government was cognisant of the urgency of the issue and policy recommendations and their effective implementation was being taken up at the highest levels. Dr Stephen Davies from International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI) and Shujaat Zaidi from Agha Khan University presented the findings generated of the food security and nutrition strategic review session. The consultative session was attended by parliamentarians and NGOs, senior officers from the Punjab government, members of civil society organisations and NGOs, academicians and representatives from the media.