Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana said that food security, health, education and clean water were the real issues for which the government was making all-out efforts to address the problems of common man.

Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana said that food security, health, education and clean water were the real issues for which the government was making all-out efforts to address the problems of common man. He was talking to the students at the inaugural session of DICE 2015, business plan competition, jointly organized by University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and British Council as part of the UAF five-day Rabi Festival. He said that when the government came into the power, the country was facing numerous problems including terrorism, energy, economic crunch and others. Now the things are moving towards positive directions. He said that the government persuaded all parties on a board in the shape of All Parties Conference that was bringing the tangible results. He said that it is our government commitment to serve the woes of common men in order to improve their livelihood. He added The food security was standing among the top agenda of government policies. He maintained the farming community had faced many difficulties. The government had introduced Rs 341 billion Kissan Package that is hallmark step for the food security. Talking about education, he said that many campuses or universities are opened across the province but "I am concerned about quality of education". He said that quality education was the guarantee of bright future. It works as engine for the growth of any country. He stressed upon the need to understand the message of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam so that the dream of prosperity can be fulfilled easily. He said that country was achieved after the great sacrifices. It is the time to repay the sacrifices and work hard to address the problems confronting our homeland. He said that self accountability was the prerequisite for the uplift of the country. Allah has showered tremendous blessings upon us, he said, adding that we should be thankful to him. The enough food and livestock are the blessings. He lauded the steps being taken on the part of University which the mother of the all agricultural universities in the subcontinent. It is only educational institution in the country which is standing in the list of top 100 universities worldwide, he added. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that UAF research portfolio has crossed Rs 2.2 billion. He said that food security and rural development was the top agenda of the university. He said that Kissan package is hallmark step that will adders the woes of the farming community. He said that timely sowing of crops, adoption of best varieties, balanced usage of fertilizer, soil analysis and following the recommendation of agricultural experts are imperative to increase the agricultural yield and to ensure the food security. German Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms Ina Lepel said Germany was having the strong collaborative programme with the UAF like DAAD. She also said that the competition will hone the talents of the students. She also called for developing the strong academia-industry linkages. Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mian Muhammad Adress announced that the top ten innovative ideas of the each category of DICE will be sponsored by the industry. He stressed upon to develop knowledge based economy by bringing researchers, industry and other stakeholders closer to each other. British Council Director of Examinations Murray Keeler said that British Council was strengthening the tie of British institutes with Pakistan institutes. He said that they were honing the skills of the students in English language . DICE President Khurshed Qureshi said the Dice started functioning in 2007 when ten innovative were brought in the contest and now (Dice 2015) more than 500 students are taking part from 50 educational institutes of higher learning. He called for developing the mechanism of knowledge based economy. He said that Japan has emerged as one of the developed nation due to the knowledge based economy. PCST Chairman Anwarul Hassan Gilani said the country was far lagging behind in research and commercialization. He said that we are exporting raw material of cotton and importing garments from the second largest garment exporting country Bangladesh where not a single plant of cotton is being sown.