LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the Punjab government has promoted the culture of merit in every sector of life, which was why underprivileged students were obtaining top positions in the province. “Due to the strict merit policy of government, children of labourers and workers are taking lead over those of elite by displaying outstanding performance in the field of education,” Shahbaz said while talking to a delegation of youth on Sunday. The CM said that these talented boys and girls were future of Pakistan and merit policy of the government has provided them an opportunity to move further ahead. He said that the Punjab government was providing all out resources to enlighten the future of children belonging to resourceless segments of the society. Such vision of the Punjab government was playing an important role in taking the country forward and polishing the talented youth, he added. The chief minister said that only merit was made the basis in the examination system, adding that due to the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, Self-Employment Scheme, Chief Minister’s Chinese Language Scholarship Programme and Shahbaz Sharif Merit Scholarship Programme, talented students of underprivileged families were benefiting from the fruits of their hard work and were leaving behind the children of the elite by performing extraordinarily well in the examinations. He said that these talented boys and girls achieved this status through their hard work, without any reference, collusion, bribe and rigging. Shahbaz said that the merit policy of Punjab government has provided the way to these boys and girls to secure their futures. He said that if merit, honesty and hard work were upheld in every sector of life, then no one could stop the country from progressing. He said that doors of higher education for talented but resourceless students have been opened through Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, adding that volume of this fund has reached Rs 17 billion, out of which scholarships were being given to 0.15 million underprivileged students, while scholarships would be provided to 50,000 more students in the future. He said that it was only due to merit policy that a daughter of the nation living in a tent achieved a prominent position in the examination by obtaining excellent marks due to hard work. He said that the children of labourers and workers studying in difficult situation were also topping in the examination, terming them the face of enlightened Pakistan. Meanwhile, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (r) Muzammil Hussain met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday to discuss pace of progress on hydel energy projects. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government was making strenuous efforts for overcoming energy crisis. He said that besides traditional sources, energy-generating projects through alternative sources were being completed speedily for elimination of energy crisis. He said that thousands megawatts of electricity would be added to the national grid with the completion of different energy projects by the end of 2017. Shahbaz said that the present government was determined to eliminate energy crisis, provide cheaper and abundant electricity to the masses and overcoming load shedding.