The Minister said it was unfortunate that the country was hardly producing 100,000 skilled manpower annually due to shortage of technical institutions. Efforts were being made to improve and strengthen the country's vocational and technical training network, he added.
He said the Prime Minister had issued directives to set up vocational centres in every district to meet the growing local and international demand of technical hands. Target had also been given to the ministry that every year minimum 300,000 unskilled youths should be imparted vocational and technical training, he added.
To a question, Ghulam Sarwar said presently Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Libya were demanding professionals in health sector, because the solid steps initiated by the government had improved the country's image at the international level.
To another question, he said negotiations were underway with Malaysian government for the export of Pakistani workers. Earlier, Malaysia had imposed ban on the Pakistani labour, but due to efforts of President General Pervez Musharraf, the Malaysian government had lifted the ban, the Minister said and expressed the hope that the matter would be settled soon.
Replying to a question, he said his Ministry would take strict action against private promoters, not fulfilling the commitments about salary and other facilities mentioned in the agreement with labour, and added that during the last three months, three licenses of such promoters had been cancelled.
Ghulam Sarwar warned the people of fake agents, as all demands of foreign countries, either government to government or at private level, were advertised in national dailies and no recruitment was made without advertisement.
To a query about Workers Welfare Fund, he said there was no irregularity in that fund and the entire amount was safe. In fact the allocated funds were not being fully utilised, as it was a provincial matter, he added.
Efforts were being made to enhance the capacity of the provincial labour departments through which its related projects were executed, he said.
To a question, he said all out efforts were being made to minimise the effects of the World Health Organisation (WTO) regime over the country's labour.