Punjab cabinet approves Rs1b for police martyrs’ heirs

LAHORE: The fourth provincial cabinet meeting held under the chair of the caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi at his office Thursday approved Rs1 billion for the assistance of police martyrs' heirs.

It decided to include flour in the schedule of the Punjab Prevention of Speculation for Essential Commodity Act, 2021 to make it a part of the essential commodities.

The chief minister directed to constitute a committee while asking for recommendations to formulate a foolproof method of targeted flour subsidy. The cabinet approved procuring wheat from PASSCO while the CM ordered to depute merited officers for the wheat procurement drive.

The meeting also approved rules and regulations for corporate farming under the CPEC project; one lakh 27 thousand acres of land will be made available for farming in five selected districts of Punjab. Corporate farming will help in agricultural research, food security, and forest and livestock research. Land can be given for a maximum of 30 years for corporate farming and those who get land for corporate farming will not get ownership rights.

The cabinet approved a reconstituted board of governors of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute under Dr Saeed Akhtar while the caretaker chief minister asked the ministers to conduct visits to resolve the artificial shortage and hoarding of petroleum products. It was decided that recruitment should be made through Punjab Public Service Commission to ensure merit in the food department and further decided to constitute a new search committee for the appointment of vice-chancellors of government universities. Extension of the contract period of staff of the Provincial Quality Control Board in Punjab and de-notification of political appointments in departments and autonomous bodies affiliated with the P&D Board was approved as well. Approval was given to restore the expired funds for the payment of honorarium to the Afternoon School Programme staff for the academic year 2020-21.

The meeting also reviewed the postponement of the recruitment process in new administrative units in Punjab. Meanwhile, the maiden paperless meeting of the caretaker cabinet was held through the cabinet management information system in which the agenda was presented through the tablet. The agenda of the next cabinet meeting will be circulated online through CMIS which would save Rs1.5 million incurred on every meeting. Ministers, the chief secretary, IGP and others attended the meeting.