The Sindh cabinet on Thursday decided that recruitment from grade BS-1 to 4 in the government service would be made through a selection committee, from BS-5 to BS-15 through a third party and above grade BS-15 by the Sindh Public Service Commission.
The cabinet meeting was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. It was decided at the meeting that the local recruitment from grade BS-1 to BS-4 would be made by a selection committee headed by the deputy commissioner concerned under the section officer of the services & general administration department and other officers as members.
On the divisional level, the selection committee would be headed by the commissioner and the section officer of finance would be its member apart from other members.
For recruitment in BS-5 to BS-15 grades, the CM constituted a high-levl committee comprising Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, Labour Minister Saeed Ghani, Law Adviser Murtaza Wahab and the services secretary to work out a mechanism for recruitment from grade BS-5 to grade BS-15 and submit their recommendations within 15 days.
The CM directed the police department to make their recruitments through a business administration institute.
Wheat quota
The cabinet also decided not to allocate any wheat quota for the flour mills that had availed the plea bargain or voluntary return scheme along with defaulters of the government dues and non-functional flour mills.
It was said that the provincial government, in order to control wheat or flour prices, has purchased wheat from the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) and decided to release wheat as per the decided quota to the flour mills at the subsidised rate of Rs3,450 per a 100-kilogramme bag.
The cabinet decided that wheat would be released to the functional flour mills on body formula and to the chakkies on stone formula. However, wheat would not be provided to non-functional mills and those mills that had availed plea bargain or defaulted on government dues.
However, the government has provided 15 days to the defaulter mills to pay their dues in order to get the wheat share. The functional flour mills owners would have to show electricity bills of their mills to prove that they have been operating.
The mills which would get their quota and would not function would be liable of penalty, including payment of subsidy the government had given on wheat.
The cabinet was told that under the plea bargain, some flour mills had paid Rs2 billion to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), to which the CM directed the chief secretary to coordinate with NAB authorities to get the collected amount of Rs2 billion transferred to Sindh.
Wildlife Act 2019
The cabinet after thorough consultation approved the draft for the Sindh Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation, and Management Bill 2019 that would be tabled before the Sindh Assembly for its passage into an Act.
In the definitions section of the bill, animals have been declared as animals of wild origin, terrestrial and aquatic that include fish, birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians and their eggs.
The bill declares ibex as the provincial animal of Sindh. The draft bill envisages a nine-member council for the conservation of wildlife under the wildlife minister, adviser or special assistant. The council will be tasked with giving guidance for sustainability of wildlife.
The proposed law prohibits hunting, shooting, killing, trapping, snaring and poisoning of wild animals. The hunting of game animals shall be regulated in a prescribed manner, according to it.
Forest policy
The cabinet also approved the Sindh Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2019 with the objective to maintain, restore, enhance and sustainably manage the forest resources of the province by following highest standards of professional forestry, promoting public awareness and participation and strengthening institutional capacities.
Coastal development
The cabinet was told that the Sindh governor had sent back the amendments in the Sindh Coastal Development Authority (SCDA) law with the observation that it interfered with the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency. The cabinet was told that the SCDA had been present since 1994.
It was said that the amendments made to the law authorised the authority to carry out development in the coastal belt which could not be termed as interference. The cabinet approved the bill once again and referred it to the assembly.
PTDC devolution
The Sindh culture department told the cabinet that the federal government had taken certain decisions to devolve to the province the assets of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) on certain conditions.
The conditions included acceptance of HR and liabilities, one time contribution in tourism endowment fund and contribution of 10 per cent of income from the business of devolved properties on an annual basis.
The cabinet was informed that the federal government wanted to lease out the devolved properties to the provinces in a competitive manner. However, the CM remarked that such conditions were against the spirit of the 18th constitutional amendment.
The cabinet was told that the PTDC had dilapidated motels in Hawkesbay and Mohen-Jo-Daro and land in Thatta, Sukkur and Bhambhore. The CM constituted a committee under the culture minister to examine the federal government’s plan and present a report in the next cabinet meeting.
Mobile phone services
On the request of the Sindh Board of Revenue (SRB), the cabinet accorded exemption of sales tax collection on the cellular mobile phones services for the period from June 13, 2018, to April 24, 2019, because the Supreme Court had suspended the tax on cellular mobile phone services.
However, after April 24 this year, the SRB would be authorised to collect sales tax on cellular phone services.
The cabinet was told that the provincial government incurred a loss of Rs10 billion due to the suspension of sales tax on cellular services.
The cabinet also approved implementation of the Hague convention of civil aspect of international child abduction, 1980 by bringing it within the jurisdiction of family court.
Hindu marriage law
The cabinet also approved the rules for the Sindh Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Act 2018, under which the marriage cases of Hindus would be tried in family courts. The cabinet also approved the rules for the Sindh Employees Social Security Bill 2016.