Experts stress need for human development schemes in Thar

Supporting agricultural, livestock sectors can help uplift the area, they claim

HYDERABAD: There is a great need for sustainable action programmes and schemes for human development in Tharparkar, claimed elected representatives, government officials and officials of Thar Foundation and Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) on Friday. They stated this during the concluding ceremony of the Thar Fodder Distribution Project (TFDP) Phase-1 in Islamkot.

The officials maintained that supporting the agricultural and livestock sectors, besides providing employment in the energy sector, could help uplift the lifestyle of the people of Thar. According to Thar Foundation, TFDP, during phase-1 it benefited 21,650 households, with each getting 75 kilogrammes of fodder..

Meanwhile, MNA Dr Mahesh Malani stated that the region had become a resource-rich area, which will contribute positively to the economy. To this end, Sindh Livestock Secretary Aijaz Mahesar claimed that Tharparkar had the growth potential to emerge as a hub of the livestock industry. He added that his department had successfully implemented TFDP and desert fisheries programmes in collaboration with the foundation.

SECMC Chief Executive Officer Syed Abul Fazal Rizvi said that the people of Thar should not be demanding development; instead companies wanting to use the coal-resource land of the area should initiate social programmes. He added that it was because of this responsibility that the company's welfare branch, the Thar Foundation, would introduce several other sustainable development schemes as soon as they received disbursement of the Thar coal's royalty from the Sindh government. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2020.