Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director, Xiaohong Yang has said that the Bank and the Punjab government are working together for the betterment of humanity and the up-coming development projects will improve the lives of citizens.
She expressed these views during a review meeting organized by the Punjab Planning and Development (P&D) Board here on Wednesday.
Secretary P&D Imran Sikander Baloch and Xiaohong Yang jointly chaired the meeting. The meeting reviewed the progress of Punjab government for formulating comprehensive growth plan and also highlighted the key points of ADB strategy which is aligned with government's development policy and Vision 2025.
Xiaohong Yang also added that the strategy covers all key areas that development partners are looking to collaborate with the government. She further pinpointed main parts, especially public-private partnerships where the ADB and government of Punjab are working together and hoped that the up-coming projects will improve the lives of its citizens.
The session explored key areas of collaboration on poverty reduction and inclusive growth, infrastructure development, private sector development, environment and climate change, regional cooperation and integration.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary P&D Imran Sikandar Baloch emphasized on the new development paradigm and aligning the whole development process with the Punjab growth strategy. He further stated that the main focus of the current government is on social sector, public private partnership, and economic growth in the industrial and agricultural sectors. The current ongoing projects in collaboration with ADB will be delivered in due timeframe in Punjab, he added.
The progress also was reviewed regarding the ADB-funded project to strengthen TVETA's ability to support economic growth and job creation in priority sectors and clusters, including export-oriented ones.
This project has expanded existing programs and reforms, such as competency-based training and assessment (CBTA), centers of excellence (COEs), sector skills councils, and work-based training. It has also strengthened the industry-TVETA linkages besides increasing female participation in TVETA, and expands entrepreneurship programs for graduates.
The progress was reviewed in design service delivery models for selected cities in Punjab including Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, and Sargodha. The project readiness financing (PRF) has complemented ADB's assistance to the urban development in Pakistan, including a transaction technical assistance facility designed to support feasibility studies and explore innovations to improve the quality of urban services.
Former secretary irrigation Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary Local Government Ahmad Javed Qazi, all members of the P&D Board and senior officials of the Asian Development Bank were also present on the occasion.