KHAIRPUR, Sept 28 The government is actively considering of setting up a medical college in Khairpur, said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah during the foundation stone laying ceremony of the college of engineering and technology here on Monday.

The admission process in the engineering college was in full swing and the classes of the first batch would commence from January 1, 2010, he said adding that able and competent teachers would be appointed for churning out proficient professionals from the departments of mechanical, civil, petroleum and electrical engineering.

Regarding the government schools, he said that more financial aid would be provided to the existing ones besides setting up more schools and colleges in the division.

The chief minister said that he does not believe in supporting elite private schools for these are not meant for the poor section of the society. The government schools need our support as these cater to those students who are unable to afford private education, he said.

The PPP governments whether of Z.A. Bhutto or Benazir Bhutto had stood for the cause of education and health and the present one was also following the same motto, he said.

The Chief Minister expressed distress over the information that in some areas merit was not followed while appointing the teachers.

Provincial minister Manzoor Hussain Wassan and the principal of the college also spoke on the occasion.

VISIT Vice Chancellor, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Prof Dr Nilofar Shaikh visited the Sachal Sarmast Chair on Monday and collected information about the research being conducted on the renowned Sufi poet Sachal Sarmast.

Dr Shaikh announced the establishment of a study-room for the scholars at the chair.

She also visited Rasheed Bhatti and comrade Barkat Ali Azad corners.

Our Larkana correspondent adds The Chief Minister addressing the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected office-bearers of the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said that the consultation process with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for the admission of students from the interior of Sindh to Karachi's medical colleges was now complete.

He told the journalists that a joint announcement to this effect would be made soon.

“We don't believe in hollow slogans and cheap popularity and the government is showing no reluctance with reference to Article 6 and changes would be brought about in the light of the suggestions and proposals of the constitutional committee headed by Senator Raza Rabbani.”

Sindh was ignored during the tenure of General Parvez Musharraf in terms of development and now huge development works with an allocation of Rs75 billion had already begun here, he said.

The government was committed to providing free of cost 10,000 houses to poor and over 50,000 jobs to educated youth in the province.

The federal government was financially assisting 800,000 women of Sindh with a total outlay of Rs70 billion and the provincial administration in the current fiscal was committed to helping another 500,000 females, he said.The government has appointed 1,500 doctors on merit in three months with a bond to work for two years at the place of their first posting besides reviving numerous basic health units, said the CM.

He said that soon lady doctors would be appointed for basic health units and also proposed of sending 50 per cent doctors of Karachi to the villages.

The Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs20 million for the LCCI.