ISLAMABAD-Ministry of Industries and Production has launched a development project to improve productivity of industrial, manufacturing, services and educational sectors through the National Productivity Organisation (NPO) in the country.
This was stated by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NPO, Muhammad Alamgir Chaudhry in a press conference on Tuesday. He said that this productivity movement was the first ever developmental initiative funded by a public sector development programme to improve competitiveness through sustainable national productivity. He said that NPO would train the stakeholders to increase productivity and make them productivity specialists in their sectors concerned as it had been accredited the status of certification body by Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) Japan for period of four years.
He said the government was working hard to make Pakistan economically productive and globally competitive by promoting export driven economy through imparting training and producing productivity specialists in the country. The CEO said that more than ten thousand individuals including students of schools and technical institutes had so far been educated to give awareness about the concept of productivity through various sessions all over Pakistan. More than six hundred targeted industrial workers had been trained through renowned productivity experts about productivity tools and techniques, he maintained. He said that two productivity booklets for technical schools, industry and public had been introduced. He said that two curriculums (productivity modules) had also been developed and shared with NCC and NAVTTC for inclusion in their curricula, training and certification programmes.  
In order to promote a culture of productivity, productivity weeks were marked in major cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Multan by conducting walks coupled with holding awareness sessions addressed by renowned national productivity experts, the CEO informed. He said that different productivity competitions including painting posters, conducting debates and article writing were arranged at NED university, UET Lahore, IBA Sukkar, University of Swabi and MNS University of Agriculture, Multan to create awareness about productivity. NPO is working under the Ministry of Industries and Production as liaison office of APO, Japan.