Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haque visits UAF

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haque vowed to invest at least 10% of GDP in the research thereby to reap the benefits of development by promoting new business and employment opportunities in rural areas, arresting the energy crises, and up scaling the outreach activities with farming community, scientists, and industry people. He was addressing an extraordinary meeting of the deans committee here at new syndicate hall of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Monday morning. Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haque said the research was linchpin of technological and social development of the country and deserves due importance in the national policy making. He said universities are the agent of change and need to create a real research culture so that scientists and students jell together their heads and come up with innovative solutions confronting the humanity. He said in 1892, the University of Chicago evolved with only 36 million dollars and made a tremendous progress in a short span of time owing to research endeavors that resulted in winning as much as noble prizes by its scientists. He expressed his dismay on the growing budget deficit and other governess issues hampering the development of the country adding that during the last five years, the country suffered badly due to bad governess, crushing the merit and pursing an agenda of vested interest in all spheres of life. Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque while lauding the bio energy project of the university, asked the management to immediately submit a PC-I so that the same could be up scaled at rural level that could save more than 400 billion rupees annual spending on fuel and electricity to run the 12 million Agri tube-wells and meet the domestic energy needs. He underscored the need of encouraging new questions and making brain storming sessions so that the young minds think upon the issues and their solutions. He urged the university management to create a network of research and provide such an environment to think beyond the box. He dispelled the impression of a rural Pakistan adding that we need to make an investment in rural uplift and creating business opportunities thereby to net the growing migrations and provide employment opportunities at rural level. He vowed to pull the meritorious teachers and scientists out of the BPS grade system adding that such people need to be incentivized and properly taken care off. Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque urged the University to promote domestic poultry in lines with the philosophy of organic foods to make tangible arrangements of poverty alleviation. Earlier, UAF VC Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan while briefing the visiting guest said they were planning to making at least 50 percent curriculum on line. Dr. Iqrar A Khan thanked the deputy chairman planning commission for providing generous support for its Sub Campus at Toba Tek Singh. Dr. Khan apprised the deputy chairman about the admission mechanism, outreach activities, internationalization and other activities of the university in providing financial support to about 3500 students. He said six faculties were offering diversify schemes of studies make the university a comprehensive institute of the country adding that during the last four years, first degree programs have been increased to 26, Masters 40 and students have been offering 35 PhD programs. He said we at UAF are pursing a research culture religiously adding that Planning Commission is providing funds for executing six research projects under International Food Policy Research Institute program of the commission. Later, the deputy chairman planning commission visited post harvest lab, Monsanto field of genetically modified corn, poultry research center and bio energy project of the university.