Chief Development Officer Asiya Perveen briefed Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan on a comprehensive plan to create employment opportunities in the border districts of Balochistan.
The initiative is part of a special assignment directed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to uplift underserved regions of the province, said a press release issued here on Tuesday.
The minister appreciated the presentation and noted that with right interventions, employment generation in these remote areas could be significantly enhanced.
“We must adopt practical and community-based approaches,” he said.
Among the key suggestions, the minister proposed that all oil marketing companies should be required to establish their facilitations to people.
To engage the youth, especially in low-cost recreational infrastructure, he emphasized the importance of building infrastructure in the sports and recreational sectors.
The minister also highlighted the importance of micro-level interventions to improve household incomes and improve livelihoods and support mobility in rural areas.
Addressing the mining sector, he pointed out the need to equip local workers with small-scale machinery. Not all mining requires heavy equipment-supporting small operators can open up substantial employment opportunities.
He further stressed the role of technical education in building a skilled workforce and called for expansion of training programs in various trades. The minister also identified potential in the export of livestock, fisheries, and dates, and urged the development of enabling infrastructure, including warehouses, slaughterhouses, and cold storages. He suggested these facilities could be operated by the private sector or local associations to drive economic activity.
On industrial development, the minister called for facilitating marble cities and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through soft loan schemes.
For women’s empowerment, he proposed establishing district-level complexes featuring women chambers, gyms, auditoriums, and training facilities under one roof.
The minister directed Chief Development Officer Asiya Perveen to categorize the proposed projects based on priority and prepare them for inclusion in the upcoming Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). He further instructed that a more detailed and concrete proposal be prepared within the next few days for submission to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. All the proposals discussed were jointly streamlined by GoB, Commerce and other stakeholders.