Annual Lok Mela ends at Lok Virsa Shakarparian

Lahore : Secretary Information and Broadcasting Shafqat Jalil on Sunday said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting would continue its endeavours to promote the country’s diverse culture and acknowledge artists’ talent by holding cultural shows.

Addressing the award distribution ceremony of Lok Mela,
which ended here at the Lok Virsa today, he said there was no dearth of talent in the country, which needed ample opportunities to flourish and the ministry would do the needful.

Lauding the services of Lok Virsa management for organizing such
an excellent folk festival, the secretary said every one, including
artists, sponsors, and organizers contributed towards making the Mela a success, which was evident from the number of visitors and they all deserved appreciation.

Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan said the provincial government would promote
the culture along with trade. The diverse culture of different areas
of Pakistan was worth seeing and the PTI government would make all-out efforts for its promotion, he added.

He said the Punjab government had decided to give
health cards to some 10,000 artists, who would be able to get free of charge medical treatment facility of upto Rs 400,000 per annum. He said that Punjab Idols would be started in the Province for talent hunt and providing platform to youngsters.

He said the government would soon initiate a programme
titled ‘Voice of Punjab’ and artists from across the country could
participate in it. The programme would help identity the new talent,he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Minister for Sports, Youth & Culture Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed stressed the need of unity among the nation and promoting positive activities.

Executive Director Lok Virsa Shahera Shahid expressed her gratitude to all participants and those who had actively participated in different activities.