Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal holds Meeting with Provincial Planning Ministers to achieve Sustainable Development Goals
Islamabad – Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal chaired a high-level meeting with provincial planning ministers to revitalize the spirit of federalism and promote economic and social development. This initiative revives the consultative sessions started by the previous PMLN government in 2013-2018, aimed at harmonizing provincial economic policies with federal objectives.
The meeting focused on aligning development projects with the Annual National Development Plan, optimizing fund utilization for higher education, and strategies for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Minister Iqbal emphasized the need for federal-provincial collaboration to address pressing challenges, including rapid population growth, healthcare deficiencies, and education shortcomings.
Minister Iqbal expressed concern over Pakistan’s lagging position in healthcare and education, citing issues like diabetes, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malnutrition, stunting, and out-of-school children. He directed the Federal Bureau of Statistics to collect data on out-of-school children and emphasized federal-provincial collaboration in healthcare and education.
Despite fiscal constraints, Minister Iqbal committed to funding federal universities through the Federal Government and Provincial universities through Provincial Governments. He acknowledged the brain drain due to lack of incentives for university faculty and called for consultative workshops on the five-year plan.
In conclusion, Minister Iqbal reiterated the need for collective efforts to achieve national development goals, committing to hold monthly consultative meetings with Provincial Planning Ministers to ensure ongoing collaboration and progress.
