News Detail
Event Title: Senator Kamil Ali Agha, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology presiding over a meeting of the committee at Parliament House
Event Date: 2024-07-25
The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology, presided over by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, convened its session today at the Parliament House.
The meeting featured the presence of Senator Husna Bano, Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, Senator Nasir Mehmood, Senator Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto, Senator Muhammad Aslam Abro, The Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, The Director General Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA) and the senior officials from the concerned department.
The meeting commenced with a briefing on the working and performance of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Senator Shibli Faraz commented on the inefficiency of the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), suggesting that the ministry provide details of its policy and slow-paced implementations. The committee members also noted the sluggish pace of implementation of the Institute for Research, Advocacy, and Development (IRADA) and suggested that the ministry share the IRADA policy with the committee members.
Furthermore, the Secretary of MoST briefed the committee on the ministry’s core mandate, adding that there are five R&D organizations, namely the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), the Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET), the National Institute of Electronics (NIE), the Council for Works and Housing Research (CWHR), and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).
The Secretary highlighted that PCRET is on the verge of shutting down due to various concerns, including a lack of human resources and its inability to achieve productivity. Senator Shibli Faraz suggested strengthening their human resources rather than pursuing an exit strategy. While endorsing the point of view of Senator Shibli Faraz, the Chairman Senator Kamil Ali Agha emphasized the need to take care of employees in case any department is to be shut down. He also added that renewable energy is essential and the ministry must find skilled employees; shutting down departments would set us back by even 10 years.
The Secretary (MoST) also reported that PCRET is currently overseen by PCSIR. Similar to PCRET, CWHR is also on the verge of being wound up due to the absence of leadership. The committee members unanimously expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of leadership in the aforementioned organizations. The secretary reiterated that they have already advertised for heads of five departments and are in the process of shortlisting and finalizing candidates. Although it is a challenge to accomplish this, filling the leadership gap is their priority.
Moreover, he also briefed on three S&T universities and S&T promotion organizations, namely the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) and the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST). He mentioned three standards and accreditation organizations: the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC), and the National Metrology Institute of Pakistan (NMIP), as well as two regulatory authorities: the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA). He added that while our R&D research is robust, it is not being commercialized. To address this, there is the Science and Technology Development Corporation (STEDEC), a technology commercialization corporation of Pakistan.
Additionally, there are three inter-governmental organizations: the Committee on Science & Technological Cooperation of the OIC (COMSTECH), the Commission for Cooperation for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), and the Economic Cooperation Organization Science Foundation (ECOSF).
The officials of MoST also briefed on the budgetary allocations granted to autonomous organizations within the ministry. It was reported that a total of 14,411.072 million rupees has been granted to these organizations for the year 2024-2025, with the highest allocation of 4,137.928 million rupees going to PCSIR, followed by 158.556 million rupees to PCST.
The matter under sub-rule (6) of Rule 166 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate, 2012, concerning the nominations of senators for the boards of governors, was also discussed in the meeting. Senator Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari was nominated as a member of the Advisory Council of the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), Senator Dost Muhammad Khan as a member of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA), Senator Saeed Ahmed Hashmi as a member of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST), and Senator Mir Dostain Khan Domki as a member of the Senate of COMSATS University. These nominations were unanimously approved by the committee members.
In addition, the ministry officials briefed on the scope, functioning, achievements, and strategic initiatives of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), followed by a briefing on the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) Act and the entire organizational performance.