ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Gwadar Port Authority Board (GPA) has planned to start building a Vocational Training Institute (VTI) in its Free Zone to impart port and free zone related skills and training to local people.
The construction work on this Institute is scheduled during this year with grant to be provided by Chinese government. GPA has so far incurred Rs.1 million on the projects and this excludes the amount spent by Chinese Company and Chinese government.
Sources at Ministry of Ports and Shipping while highlighting steps taken to develop unprivileged area/people of Gwadar on Friday said GPA has set-up a Social Sector Development Fund and was spending million of rupees on different social sector programmes.
In addition, they said GPA was also encouraging investors to provide grants to poor schools and health institutions for medicine.
On two different occasions, the Chinese Embassy provided grants and gifts to students, teachers, schools, and hospitals.
The sources said despite the fact that currently there is not much port operations in Gwadar Port and a small revenue is earned, hopefully it will increase in future.
They said GPA adopted a primary school in one of the poorest locality/income groups of Gwadar Town, renovated the school building, provided electrical items, furniture, uniform and restored source of clean drinking water facility.
The GPA was also providing annually three scholarships to toppers of Primary, Middle and Matric examinations studying in government schools in Gwadar District while Information Technology (IT) literacy was being encouraged in the very poor localities of Gwadar and so far it has provided three computers to IT centers functioning in such areas.
Moreover, the sources said GPA has also provided books to best students belonging to poor families and added with efforts of GPA and Ministry of Ports and Shipping, the Chinese government was providing solar electric systems and goods LED bulbs, tube lights and Solar Power Generation systems) to poor families in Gwadar. The total amount of this grant is about Rs.320 million. These goods are scheduled to arrive Gwadar in March/April 2016, the sources added.
The sources said the Port Operator (M/s China Overseas Port Holding Company) has donated three school buses as part of Social Sector Responsibility through GPA to Education Department, Gwadar. The Chinese Company has also created an Education Support Funds Rs. 500,000 annually.
Source: APP
