TAXILA: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said Pakistan’s first ever electric vehicle policy introduced by the PTI government would achieve climate related goals besides helping in reducing air pollution by over 43pc.

He expressed these views while inaugurating work on the construction of a new road in Awanabad village of Tajik union council on Saturday.

The project would be completed at a cost of Rs8 million during the current fiscal year.

Mr Aslam said with 43pc of the airborne emissions in the country coming from the transport sector, transition to electric vehicles would provide a huge opportunity to reduce air pollution.

He said the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Plantation and clean energy projects were acknowledged during the UN-led global climate summit (COP26).

He said Pakistan was awarded with Forestry Champion by the UN and Nature Leader award by UK at the summit.

He said though there were issues including inflation in Pakistan but it was also a fact that the PTI government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan was taking practical steps to rid the nation of these problems.

“There are dozens of government’s programmes including Ehsaas Programme, Kamyab Jawan Programme, Insaf Health Card, and Ehsaas Scholarship through which efforts are being made to eradicate poverty and unemployment and people are also getting relief,” he added.

He said the government was striving hard to resolve public issues on a priority. Development projects have been initiated by the government to facilitate the masses. There is inflation not only in Pakistan but across the world and it would be controlled soon.

He urged the masses to get themselves registered with Ehsaas Programme to get relief.

He said heavy debt, corruption and expensive electricity contracts given by previous governments were one of the major causes of inflation.

Mr Aslam said work on the construction of 12-km-long Bhatiot Boota road had been started which will directly benefit thousands of residents of Attock and seven villages of Jand.

He said the road project which was put on the back burner for many years was launched in a bid to provide better traveling facilities to the local people. It will reduce the distance of these villages from the Attock district headquarters by 40km.

He said at present the residents of these villages have to cover 80 to 100 km distance to reach Attock but after the completion of the road the distance will reduce by up to 50pc.

Mr Amin said the road will also benefit other areas of Jand and Pindigheb besides generating economic activities.

He said steps were being taken to meet the paucity of teachers at Government Shuja Khanzada Shaheed College Hazro. Besides, work was being carried out on a water supply scheme for the area at a cost of Rs2.5 million.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2021