Asad stresses promoting PPP mode in infrastructure sector

ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Asad Umar on Monday said infrastructure sector of the country urgently needed public private partnership for its speedy development.

“The government alone can not fully invest in infrastructure sector as during current fiscal year, the government had to allocate a huge amount of Rs 250 billion out of Rs 700 billion total development budget of the country,” he said, adding this huge amount could have been spent on other important social sectors like health and education.

He was addressing the Pakistan Innovative Finance Forum organized by Asian Development Bank and other local partners here.

He said in order to promote Public Private Partnership in this sector, the PPP authority must be strengthened.

He further said the PPP mode could also be applied on other sectors like health and education by following the Turkish experiment.

The minister added that from day one of the PTI government, job creation and exports had been on priority.

Asad Umar informed that in housing sector there was a deadlock for last 15 months due to some legislative issues in the Parliament, however he hoped that now the issued had been settled with the opposition parties and in next session of National Assembly, the bills regarding housing sector would be cleared which would help streamlining the construction of housing units under Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.