KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the country is passing through a very critical phase in which different challenges have emerged and the foremost challenge is revival of the economy, which the federal government seems to have failed to achieve.

“This situation is rendering a large number of people working in private sector jobless and these unemployed youth are indulging in illegal activities, particularly in street crime, drug peddling, drug addiction,” he said while addressing the participants in Senior Management Course (SMC) headed by DG NIM Mohsin Chandna who called on him here on Thursday at CM House.

Pointing out key problems, the chief minister held the devolution plan responsible for eroding the government’s writ and creating ghost employment in large numbers.

Referring to increasing criminal activities, Mr Shah said that the police department had reported to him that unemployment had forced the youth to indulge in criminal activities, particularly in street crimes. “Industrial units have started retrenchment and this is a serious situation,” he said and added that “we have to find out real solution of the issues”.

Talking about devolution plan of the Musharraf government, the chief minister said that it had eroded the government’s writ badly, affected school education and health facilities’ performance and created ghost employment in a large numbers. “We have worked hard to get rid of ghost employees from education, local government and health departments and have improved health facilities in the province,” he claimed.

He said that his government had through public private partnership handed over a number of schools to education management organisations (EMOs).

Responding to a question about health indicators, the chief minister said that from 2013 to 2018 infant mortality rate had been reduced from 74 to 60 (per 1,000), under-five mortality rate had also been reduced from 77 in 2018.

Talking about mass transit project, the chief minister said that BRT Orange Line would be completed in 2020 and BRT Red Line, a 26-km project, would be launched with the assistance of the World Bank for Rs74 billion within the next few months and the World Bank was also assisting to start BRT Yellow Line, a 22-km project, for Rs61bn.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2019