Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday said that a comprehensive plan being implemented to make Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and Pakistan Television Corporation profitable entities.
Responding to a query in the National Assembly today, the minister said a single Board of Directors has been constituted for both as part of the reforms.
He told both PBC and PTV will be brought under a single administrative umbrella in the next phases in order to bring efficiency and improvement in these organizations.
Fawad Hussain expressed hope that PTV will be turned into a profitable entity by next year while the situation of PBC will also be turned around by the next two years.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said Radio Pakistan is part of our cultural heritage and all out efforts are being made to make it a profitable state institution.
He said there is no plan at present to lease the building of Radio Pakistan in Islamabad.
Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtyar told the House that all development schemes are intact in District Chitral and there is no plan of excluding any of these from Public Sector Development Program 2018-19.
Responding to a Calling Attention Notice, the minister said work on development schemes costing 63 billion rupees is in full swing and projects worth 32 billion rupees have already been completed.
The minister said a development scheme costing 16 billion rupees for Shandur has been revised upward to 25 billion rupees and it has been decided to release this amount.
Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar said hydropower project of 106 MW capacity has been completed that will improve the power supply situation in the district. The increase in cost will also be released.
Besides, grid evacuation projects are also being completed on a fast track basis. The Minister further informed that two packages of NHA in Chitral of 117 km have been completed, while a section of 28 km is under completion.
The House has been adjourned to meet again on Monday at 4 p.m.