MUZAFFARABAD, Jun 29 (APP): Minister Health of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Dr. Nisar Ansar Abdali has said that Turkish cooperation agency, TIKA was playing vital role in the region’s social economic development by implementing projects worth millions of rupees in health, agriculture, rural development and social welfare sectors.
In his concluding remarks at a brief to the Vice President of TIKA Dr. Umit Naci Yovulmaz about the progress on different ongoing projects funded by TIKA here on Saturday, the minister said that the people of Turkey and AJK were enjoying brotherly relations having strong historical links and moral values.
He said Turkey was the first country came in aid of the people of the region after the deadliest earthquake of 2005 and reconstructed many official buildings that would establish strongest bound between both the countries for coming generation in the future.
He said both the people share common cultural and moral values that is why the Turkish dramas were very popular in the country particularly, in AJK and these values were being realized by the Turkish cooperation in the socio-economic development of the region.
He said that the people in region were very painful after a recent earthquake in Turkey and contributed though their very minute share which was an evidence of their strong love bound with the Turkish people and was reciprocated by the TIKA officials by continuing funding ongoing projects in the region despite our offer to discontinue the funding till rehabilitation of the affected people.
Abdali said that different projects in health sector including a children unit in Khoirata Hospital in district Kotli, a modern equipped lab in Dental Hospital at MUzaffarabad, establishing a library in social welfare complex at Rawalakot were completed while six projects in agriculture sector including an olive extract project were running by the funding of TIKA.
He disclosed that TIKA completed a newborn baby unit in Khoirata hospital with a cost of 30 million rupees within three months despite an estimated cost of 100 million rupees by the health department which was a pleasant surprise for the government officials.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice President TIKA Dr. Umit Naci said that the Turkish cooperation agency established in 1992, had 63 coordination offices in different countries including two in Karachi and Islamabad and had completed more than 30 thousand development and welfare projects in different under develop regions since then.
He said that the AJK was included in their priority areas where the agency was implementing different projects in sectors like education, health, agriculture and basic infrastructure development to enable the people to earn their livelihood.
He said that two schools had been established by the agency’s funding in Rawalakot district with the provision of furniture and other necessary items while water filtration plants had been installed at different places in Muzaffarabad city besides other projects.
He expressed gratitude to the local authorities and satisfaction over the performance on completed and ongoing projects in different sectors and was optimistic that sustainable socio-economic development of the region will be ensure after the completion of these projects.
Earlier, Director Agriculture extension Dr. Amina Rafi gave a detailed presentation of the participant of the meeting about different agri projects funded by the agency including implementation stages, performance and outcomes.
Prior to the meeting, the Vice President TIKA along with the minister inaugurated a modern equipped lab at Jinnah Dental Hospital, completed and funded by the agency.
