'Liquified fuel from Thar coal can replace imported petrol'

Interim Sindh Finance, Revenue, Planning and Development Minister Yousus Dagha said on Saturday that the process to turn coal into liquified fuel as an alternate to imported petrol for vehicles has been initiated in Thar.

He was speaking to Express News at the Karachi Expo Centre during ITCN ASIA 2023.

Dagha said that the caretaker provincial government is bringing transparency into the minerals sector in order to make it more attractive for investors. "We hope to leave the province in a better state than it was handed to us," he added.

The interim minister said that the current setup aims to bring automation and digital processes into government departments that deal directly with the public to minimize potential ways of corruption.

Giving one example, he said that the interim Sindh government is introducing e-pay systems through which citizens can vehicular taxes online.

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Dagha further said that the data collected through the recent census can be used to generate employment opportunities. "We are trying to ease processes for the incoming government [after polls]," he added.

Replying to a question, he said that introducing new schemes and policymaking is the mandate of elected representatives.

Earlier, inaugurating the exhibit in Karachi, Dagha said that the information technology (IT) sector is a crucial one and an area of focus for the interim setup. "The government is serious about controlling rising inflation," he added.

Dagha was sworn in as part of Interim Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar's cabinet last August with multiple portfolios handed to him.

He is also Sindh's representative in the recently reconstituted National Economic Council (NEC) - a constitutional entity responsible for assessing the country's economic status and formulating strategies to foster equitable development and regional balance.