ISLAMABAD:
Planning Minister Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said that each and every project will be evaluated in accordance with the standards and objectives set out in the ‘Uraan Pakistan’ program to achieve sustainable economic growth before it becomes part of the Annual Development Plan (ADP).
“Uraan Pakistan is neither fiction nor just a book, but a reality, and its implementation has already begun. In the next development budget, only projects that meet the set growth targets will be included,” he said.
The minister made these remarks during a press conference on the recently unveiled ‘Uraan Pakistan’: National Economic Plan (2024-29), a journey towards a trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
Taking into account the scarcity of resources, he said that in future only projects linked to national development would be implemented within the framework of the annual plans, adding that the new program had established priorities for a future path towards progress and prosperity.
He urged all segments of society to play their due role in the path of national economic development, offering new hopes for a better future for the nation. “Success in the 21st century can only be achieved through economic development. Pakistan’s identity in the world is that of a brilliant and hardworking nation; it must be maintained and further consolidated.”
The minister spoke in detail about the 5E framework (Exports, Equity and Empowerment, E-Pakistan, Environment and Climate Change, and Energy and Infrastructure) and the strategy for its successful implementation.
Commenting on ‘exports’, the minister said the biggest challenge facing Pakistan is to shift its attention from domestic business to exports with value addition to products, achieve the target of $60 billion in exports by 2029 and, eventually reach $100 billion capacity over the next eight years.
Under the 5E segment, he said macroeconomic reforms would be implemented for export-led economic growth, along with efforts to increase productivity, quality and innovation for global competitiveness. The plan also includes improving the investment climate, diversifying product mix and market access, promoting SMEs, entrepreneurship and cluster-based development, and enhancing the national brand – Made in Pakistan.
“The key objective is to achieve 60 billion dollars in annual exports by prioritizing IT, manufacturing, agriculture, industries, minerals, labor and the blue economy,” he added.
The second major intervention in the Uraan Pakistan Programme, he said, was E-Pakistan, under which capacity building in the digital technology sector would be carried out. “Every year, 200,000 young people will receive training in information technology.”
He said emerging technologies of the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions would be harnessed to address challenges in various fields and transform Pakistan’s economy into a ‘techno-economy’.
Similarly, he said, under the E-Pakistan initiative, the national economy would be technology-driven by improving digital infrastructure, developing startup and venture capital funding ecosystem, developing training, skill development and job capabilities. independent, establishing an artificial intelligence framework. and improve cybersecurity.
