Minister discusses visioning exercise to promote tourism in Punjab


LAHORE, Aug 07 (APP):The Department of Human Rights and Minorities Affairs (HR&MA), in collaboration with the World Bank, organised a visioning exercise aimed at enhancing economic growth through the promotion of tourism in Punjab.
Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora emphasised the critical role of tourism in economic development during his address to the meeting. He highlighted the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who, in her inaugural speech, declared religious minorities as the crown of her head. For the first time in history, a CM personally attended Easter celebrations in Maryamabad and initiated the Baisakhi festival by participating in the harvest.
Minister Arora expressed hope that the advisory meeting would yield fruitful results given the presence of key representatives from Punjab’s major departments. He also underscored Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s desire for a well-defined five-year strategic plan to establish a clear roadmap.
Secretary of Human Rights Ali Bahadur Qazi emphasized the significance of visioning exercise, aiming to gather valuable insights from various representatives of Punjab’s key institutions to formulate a cohesive strategy.
Lead Consultant for Strategic Planning Syed Sajjad Imran informed the participants that the collaboration with the WB underscores a commitment to globally recognising Punjab’s tourism potential and leveraging the sector for sustainable economic development. The outcomes of the exercise would assist in creating actionable plans that align with the broader goals of the HR&MA.
Additional Secretary of Human Rights Rizwana Naveed briefed the attendees about the department’s services for religious minorities and future strategies. The meeting included a SWOT analysis of the strategic plan in various groups and feedback was solicited from all participants.
The advisory meeting also included the participation of Additional Secretary Rizwana Naveed, DS Minorities, representatives from the Punjab Economic Growth Project (PTEG) such as Waqas Malik, Project Director PTEG, Director of Human Rights Muhammad Yousaf, Research Officer Shoaib Zafar, representatives from Social Welfare, Law, School Education, Higher Education, government officials, tourism experts, private sector representatives, and members of civil society.

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