It is heartening to see that an event of such an enormous importance is being organised by Government of Sindh to highlight the potential of Coal reserves located in Thar Sindh. This impressive projection of Coal reserves would open a new vista of investment opportunities which would ultimately address the energy crisis confronted by the country.
The present government, since its inception has been striving to develop the indigenous coal reserves of Sindh which exist in abundance but could not be utilised for decades. In order to fast track the development of Thar Coal, the provincial government, for the first time, was empowered to take the lead in investment facilitation and infrastructure development. All the major stakeholders in the federal government were mad part of the institutional arrangement of Thar Coal & Energy Board which is chaired by the Chief Minister Sindh. This step has greatly enhanced investors' confidence and an increased interest is witnessed in development of Thar Coal.
The effectiveness of this institutional arrangement was demonstrated in announcement of an unprecedented package of incentives by the Economic Co-ordination Council which included guaranteed rates of return of 20 percent in dollar terms and a host of tax holidays and custom duty rebates. The federal government is playing its due role in developing the infrastructure required for mining and power generation projects in Thar Coalfield. Necessary projects have been planned and required finances are being arranged for the critical projects such as water supply, transmission line and connection with rail and road network.
I congratulate Coal & Energy Department, Thar Coal & Energy Board and Sindh Board of Investment who working under the able leadership of Syed Qaim Ali Shah to have organised this important conference. I am hopeful that it will bring the desired results for all the stakeholders.