Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday inaugurated the country’s first ‘Smart Forest’ in the Rakh Jhok area of  Sheikhupura.

The prime minister planted a sapling in the forest, which is first of its kind being equipped with technology sensors and surveillance systems. Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and senior officials of the Punjab government were present. The Rakh Jhok Forest is a project of Ravi Urban Development Authority covering 24,000 kanals of land. Technology giant Huawei will be the smart partner in the project.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday said the first-ever smart forest, inaugurated by Prime Imran Khan in Rakh Jhok, Sheikhupura, was a crucial milestone in tackling climate change in the country. In a tweet, he said the Rakh Jhok Forest was part of the Ravi Riverfront City and taken in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision for Clean and Green Pakistan.

The minister said under the initiative, ten million trees would be planted on 24,000 kanals of land. Huawei’s modern technology and sensors would be used to develop the forest, which would eventually help in biodiversity conservation and ensuring trees growth, he added. In August 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Ravi City mega project. Envisioned as the second largest planned city in Pakistan, after Islamabad, the proposed development is planned on the bank of Ravi River.

The project is aimed at rehabilitating the city of Lahore, meeting the needs of a growing population, reducing water scarcity and boosting economic activities throughout the province, including Lahore.

performance report: On completion of three years in office, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday will highlight the key achievements of his government marking a journey of stable economy and several development and welfare projects.

At the capital’s Convention Centre, the prime minister will launch the Three-year Performance Report that gives an insight into the efforts of each ministry and division in facilitating the common man in line with the vision of Naya Pakistan.

The Report 2018-21, compiled by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the patronage of its head Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, focuses on the government’s accomplishments despite the global economic recession in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 251-page Report gives an outline of the achievements of 44 public bodies including ministries, divisions and departments. Besides defining the baseline of each sector, it also focuses on key objectives, updates on initiatives, long-term strategies, legislative policy framework and the projects in the pipeline.

The content has been explained through infographics and relevant facts and figures.

On assumption of power in August 2018, the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government faced numerous ‘inherited challenges’ including financial instability, poverty, and inadequate education and health facilities.

However, in three years, the journey of development has added several feathers in the cap of the government, particularly sustaining the COVID-19 situation by opting for the ‘smart lockdown strategy’. Pakistan has been recently ranked by The Economist as the ‘third-best performing country’ for handling the pandemic. Administration of 30 million vaccine doses across the country and self-sufficiency in manufacturing of Personal Protection Equipment are key achievements.

To uplift common man, the government launched the projects such as Naya Pakistan Housing Programme for affordable accommodation to low-income groups, Ehsaas programme for social security and the Kamyab Jawan Programme for imparting skills to youth to help them get employment.

In the domain of legislation, 54 laws were enacted including the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Act, 2020, Enforcement of Women Property Rights Act, 2020, and Legal Aid and Justice Authority Act, 2020 to help poor and vulnerable segments of society.