PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal has said a professional mechanism had become imperative for the province’s self-sufficiency by using its own resources.
“We have been hearing talk about the province’s resources but still don’t know how to use them for our development,” he noted while addressing an awareness seminar conducted by the provincial industries department.
The event was aimed at informing students about how they could register a business company or establish a cooperative body.
“Indeed Balochistan has been blessed with many natural resources but we should rethink our policies. We need to review why we have ended up deprived of our own resources or why we haven’t gained the attention of private investors,” the chief minister said.
Kamal said the youth should have complete knowledge about the province’s natural resources if they wanted to start their own business in the future.
“Despite having a sprawling landscape and a coastal strip, we have only four to five trade sectors based on agriculture and mining,” he pointed out.
“Our people need to focus on tourism as well as farming in Kech,” he said, pointing out that experts had found the province’s soil suitable for the cultivation of cotton.
The chief minister urged the students to shift their attention to entrepreneurism, adding that the provincial government was able to announce limited jobs while employment opportunities were declining in the private sector.
Officers of the income tax department and the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan also addressed the seminar.
The chief minister also paid a surprise visit to several areas of Quetta to inspect the measures to drain the rainwater accumulated on the streets following showers and snowfall in the provincial capital.
He directed the city’s commissioner and administrator to ensure cleanliness in the city.
Kamal was accompanied by Home Minister Meer Zia Langove and Chief Secretary Captain (retd) Fazeel Asghar.
The chief minister also visited the sites proposed for a women’s hostel, incubation centre and women’s bazaar in Satellite Town.
He directed the authorities concerned to acquire the land for the proposed projects.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2020.
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