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Centre launching five-year uplift plan for Gilgit-Baltistan
ISLAMABAD: Amid debate on the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan and ahead of elections there on Nov 15, the federal government is launching a five-year development programme for the region.
The Planning Commission on Monday said in a statement that a function in Gilgit-Baltistan “for the first time, deliberated upon the five-year plan/programme developed for various sectors by the Planning Commission in collaboration with the government of GB”. The major sectors in the programme include infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, health, education, higher education, energy and gems and precious stones.
The function, “Socio-Economic Development of Gilgit-Baltistan”, was jointly organised by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and the Planning Development Department of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (DCPC), Dr Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, told the session that government was committed to achieving the objectives of political stability and socio-economic development. “We believe that a stable and prosperous GB can play an important role in the country’s economy,” he said.
The statement quoted the DCPC as saying that the GB development budget was increased from Rs2.5 billion to Rs10bn this year, which was almost four times higher than the previous budget and showed the commitment of the federal government for the development of GB.
Dr Jehanzeb said the offices of federal agencies would also be set up in GB soon so that the people living there did not have to visit Islamabad frequently.
Talking about energy issues, the DCPC said the government in collaboration with GB was planning to take certain important interventions such as establishment of a regional grid to reduce losses, evacuate surplus power to other load centres and ultimately provide a foundation for interconnecting GB with national grid.
He said that mineral sector development would be focused upon through strong research and development activities, regulatory framework, resources mapping and deployment of modern technologies.
He said the authorities were also planning to develop tourism as an industry. Several interventions had been identified to harness the potential, such as infrastructure development, legal and regulatory framework, private sector facilitation, comfort of tourists and needs of the local community, marketing strategy and skilled development.
Likewise, the government will focus on community-based sustainable interventions capitalising on the potential local resources, improvement in human development indicators, including health, education, water and sanitation and immunisation.
ISLAMABAD: Amid debate on the constitutional status of Gilgit-Baltistan and ahead of elections there on Nov 15, the federal government is launching a five-year development programme for the region.
The Planning Commission on Monday said in a statement that a function in Gilgit-Baltistan “for the first time, deliberated upon the five-year plan/programme developed for various sectors by the Planning Commission in collaboration with the government of GB”. The major sectors in the programme include infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, health, education, higher education, energy and gems and precious stones.
The function, “Socio-Economic Development of Gilgit-Baltistan”, was jointly organised by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and the Planning Development Department of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (DCPC), Dr Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, told the session that government was committed to achieving the objectives of political stability and socio-economic development. “We believe that a stable and prosperous GB can play an important role in the country’s economy,” he said.
The statement quoted the DCPC as saying that the GB development budget was increased from Rs2.5 billion to Rs10bn this year, which was almost four times higher than the previous budget and showed the commitment of the federal government for the development of GB.
However, the Planning Commission’s document suggests that development budget for GB remained almost unchanged at Rs17.5bn for the last three fiscal years and then increased to Rs25bn in the current year’s budget.
Dr Jehanzeb said the offices of federal agencies would also be set up in GB soon so that the people living there did not have to visit Islamabad frequently.
Talking about energy issues, the DCPC said the government in collaboration with GB was planning to take certain important interventions such as establishment of a regional grid to reduce losses, evacuate surplus power to other load centres and ultimately provide a foundation for interconnecting GB with national grid.
He said that mineral sector development would be focused upon through strong research and development activities, regulatory framework, resources mapping and deployment of modern technologies.
He said the authorities were also planning to develop tourism as an industry. Several interventions had been identified to harness the potential, such as infrastructure development, legal and regulatory framework, private sector facilitation, comfort of tourists and needs of the local community, marketing strategy and skilled development.
Likewise, the government will focus on community-based sustainable interventions capitalising on the potential local resources, improvement in human development indicators, including health, education, water and sanitation and immunisation.
Centre launching five-year uplift plan for Gilgit-Baltistan
Infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, health and education among major sectors in the programme.
www.dawn.com
