ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that funds sent by overseas Pakistanis through Roshan Digital Accounts created by State Bank of Pakistan have crossed the $200 million mark.
In a tweet on Thursday, the Prime Minister said that the pace is accelerating as the first $100 million came in 76 days and the next $100 million came in only 28 days. Lauding the expats for support and positive response to the Roshan Digital Account, he said, “I want to thank our great asset, overseas Pakistanis.”
Roshan Digital Pakistan initiative enables Pakistani expats to operate digital accounts in Pakistan while sitting abroad. With this new facility, the Pakistani government aims to attract investment from the diaspora to bolster foreign exchange reserves from this initiative.
Earlier, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir had said the initiative will be available to nine million non-resident Pakistanis, allowing them to invest money in local stock markets, buy government bonds and securities, and avail of basic banking services. Presently, at least eight Pakistani banks will facilitate the Roshan Digital Accounts and allow overseas Pakistanis to deposit funds in either US dollars or Pakistani rupees, the SBP chief had maintained.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has stressed the need for revising the master plans of major cities to address the problems arising out of growing urban population.
The Prime Minister said this while chairing a weekly meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development in Islamabad on Thursday.
The Prime Minister directed to adopt modern and international standard methods for master plans, adding modern and state-of-the-art technology should be used for revising the master plans of the cities.
He said that a master plan will not only help provide better facilities to the citizens but will also prevent misuse of space allotted for civic amenities and other purposes.
The meeting was informed that mapping is underway in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta and data has been collected from other small towns and rural areas which are being digitised. This process will eliminate problems in determining the actual ownership of the land and will help in better planning, the meeting was told.
The Prime Minister directed all the provincial chief secretaries to provide the provincial land record to the Surveyor General as soon as possible so that the mapping process could be completed.
The Prime Minister lashed out at the Sindh chief secretary over the prolonged delay in giving approval to the new construction projects in the province. He said that Punjab gave approval to 664 projects during the past six months while Sindh okayed only 19 during the same period. He maintained that such delaying tactics will not be tolerated.
He ordered the Sindh chief secretary to immediately give approval to the pending construction projects and provide every possible facility to the traders in the province. During the meeting, all the four provinces presented their six-month reports pretending to be new construction projects.
Earlier on November 30, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that the promotion of the construction sector will help boost economic activities and create new jobs for the youth.
Talking to Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority chairman, who called on him in Islamabad, the Prime Minister had directed him to execute new projects by keeping in view all environmental and health aspects. He had maintained that environmental protection was among the top priorities of the government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed for taking steps to regain the lost glory of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Prime Minister Khan on Thursday chaired a session over PIA performance where his aide on institutional reforms Ishrat Hussain briefed him on the transformation model of the national flag carrier.
Hussain said in his briefing that the transformational reforms will improve the financial status of PIA, underscoring that with increasing operations on profitable routes, and improved international service can be ensured.
PIA CEO Arshad Malik elaborated the steps considered for improved operations of the national airlines.
“In order to turn the service into a profitable one, we will have to meet global standards of aviation services,” the Prime Minister noted with reference to the past of PIA which he said was very brilliant. – TLTP