Islamabad: (Parliament Times) Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis &Human Resource Development Pir Syed Saddrudin Shah Rashidi while chairing a high level meeting here on Wednesday expressed his concern over the decline in manpower export from the country and directed all the participants to make untiring efforts to boost manpower export from the country.
According to a press statement the meeting was attended by Fazal Abbas Makan – Federal Secretary OP&HRD, Mr. Habib Ur Rehman Gilani – MD OPF, Mr. Kashif Ahmed Noor – DG Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment & Dr. Amer Sheikh – MD OEC. Honorable Minister for OP&HRD inquired and reviewed the progress of projects & initiatives in each attached departments of the ministry. He expressed his concern on slow response in a few projects of the concerned departments of the ministry.
The minister expressed his concern over the decline in manpower export from the country and directed all the participants to make untiring efforts to boost manpower export from the country. He also directed the panel to look for new markets and exploiting the potential of existing markets. He directed the DG Bureau to ensure biometric verification of all intending immigrants to ensure no human interface. DG Bureau was also directed to initiate the facility at 2 stations within the next 3 months and all the stations by 2018.
The MD – OPF was instructed to boost the efforts being made towards the reintegration of returnee workers. He expressed the resolve that it is the duty of the government to accommodate returning Pakistanis.
Hon’ble Minister directed MD-OEC to explore new avenues so as to stop the exploitation of the Pakistanis going abroad. He directed to exert all possible efforts to boost skill up-gradation of the workers going abroad including ensuring training of language and soft-skills. He directed the ministry to expedite the work on web portal being developed so that data of the available manpower can be shared globally. The minister issued directives to the ministry for proper monitoring of the work of Community Welfare Attaches (CWAs) so that Pakistanis abroad can be guided properly and provided relief immediately.
He also stressed to ensure that CWAs must fulfill their duties of encouraging manpower export from the country. At the end, minister directed DG Bureau to establish close coordination with FIA to ensure that the workforce going abroad is not exploited by anyone.
Minister desired that a fortnightly report of all the initiatives would continue to be submitted with the target to meet all the deadlines as already desired by him.