ISLAMABAD – National Assembly Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the absence of Chairman Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) in the meeting.
The meeting of the committee was held at PCSIR Head Office Islamabad under the chairmanship of Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, MNA. The agenda was to get briefing from the chairman PCSIR regarding functions and responsibilities of the council but the chairman was reported to be engaged in another meeting at Skardu. The committee, taking notice on absence of the chairman, expressed displeasure and directed that recurrence of such practice should be avoided in future and parliamentary business should be given priority over every other assignment.
The NA Standing Committee expressed concerns that there is no methodology for the selection of MPhil and PhD scholars under the Data Repository of Scientific Instrumentation of PCSIR. The committee deferred other important issues due to the absence of the chairman PCSIR. The committee members raised pertinent questions regarding the ongoing PSDP projects.
The Member PCSIR briefed about the ongoing projects, which are Cultivation and Processing of Industrial Cannabis at PCSIR Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar; Data Repository of Scientific Instrumentation; Development of Computer Controlled Fomenters; Digitaltrans formation, strengthening and automation of PCSIR; Research development and Innovation Programming PCSIR Medical Equipment and Devices Innovation Center (MEDICen); Gene Editing of Biological Agents for Nutritional Biochemical and Therapeutical purpose; Material Resource Centre and development of additive manufacturing and Reverse Engineering Centre; Upgradation of Medicinal Botanic Centre as National Centre for Herbal Medicine; Establishment of Medical Cannabis Greenhouses and Cannabis Analytical Laboratory.
The Member PCSIR briefed about the Scope and Functions of the PCSIR, which are Technology Development Industrial Linkages, Research and Development, Human Resource Development, Quality Control, Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) Consultancy, Troubleshooting Cultivation and Processing of Industrial Cannabis at PCSIR Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. The meeting was attended by MNAs Abdul Karim Bijjar, Sadiq Iftikhar, Khuram Shahzad Virk, Ghous Muhammad, and senior officers from ministry of Science and Technology and PCSIR.
