Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Asad Umar chaired a meeting to review the work of Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) and other allied matters.

Dated : 3 January 2020

Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Asad Umar chaired a meeting to review the work of Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) and other allied matters. Shahzad Syed Qasim, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Coordination of Marketing & Development of Mineral Resources and Secretary Petroleum Division, Mian Asad Hayaud Din, also participated. Managing Director PMDC briefed the meeting on the operations of the Corporation. He also presented an overview of the minerals sector, the roles and responsibilities of Federal and Provincial Departments, the development impediments and their remedial measures. The meeting was informed that the Board and management of the organization had been revamped to make it a vibrant institution.

The Federal Minister emphasized the need for coordinated efforts for accelerated exploration and development of indigenous mineral resources, especially the large-scale mining, value-addition and promotion of downstream industries. He observed that a uniform policy and regulatory framework across the country would be beneficial for attracting investment in the sector. He said that while minerals are a Provincial subject, the Federal government can help and support the development of the sector, by aligning its various policies towards that objective. He said that the Federal Government would support the federating units to improve the mineral sector’s contribution in the country’s GDP. He said that both public and private sector should come forward for optimum exploitation of indigenous mineral resources.