Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the Anti-Polio Task Force in Islamabad, directing authorities to further accelerate efforts to eradicate the crippling disease from the country.
He reiterated the government's unwavering commitment to completely eliminating polio from Pakistan, despite facing various challenges and difficulties.
Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his resolve to protect every child from this dangerous disease. He emphasized that it must be ensured that every child receives multiple doses of the polio vaccine to guarantee lasting immunity.
PM Shehbaz noted that Pakistan has made significant progress in the fight against polio.
He appreciated the dedicated efforts and cooperation of provincial governments and all relevant institutions.
Prime Minister stressed that the safety and security of polio workers remain the government’s top priority.
He called upon all stakeholders to unite and work with greater speed and determination to achieve the goal of polio eradication.
Prime Minister also expressed his gratitude to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his consistent support of Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts, and acknowledged the critical role played by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in supporting the national campaign.
The meeting was briefed that targeted anti-polio drives are being specifically designed for each district in the southern regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, based on the unique challenges faced in those areas. The government is committed not only to eliminating polio cases among children but also to eradicating the virus from the environment across the country.
Digital transactions key to bringing transparency to economy: PM
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that digital transaction system is essential for bringing transparency to the economy.
Chairing a weekly meeting on the cashless and digital economy in Islamabad on Thursday, he emphasized that it is a pressing need of the time to simplify payments between citizens and businesses and to raise awareness about the use of digital systems.
He directed that the committees established for the cashless economy should work in collaboration with all stakeholders to present practical and actionable proposals.
The meeting was informed that State Bank of Pakistan is formulating a strategy to simplify and facilitate digital payment methods for traders in order to promote digital transactions.
It was informed that a simplified package will be introduced to encourage and include small businesses in digital payments.
The target is to increase the number of mobile application users for digital payments from 95 million to 120 million. The overall volume of digital payments is to be raised from 7.5 billion rupees to 12 billion rupees.
The Prime Minister directed that all these targets should be doubled.
The meeting was informed that efforts are also underway to provide Wi-Fi internet access across Islamabad particularly in hospitals, educational institutions, government offices, parks and metro bus lines.
.jpg)
