Discount on essential items for labourers priority: minister

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Labour Faisal Ayub Khokhar said during a meeting on Thursday that the Punjab government was taking practical steps for welfare of labourers and discounts for them on essential items.

The meeting was held at the Social Security Head Office to discuss initiatives aimed at providing facilities on essential commodities to workers. Commissioner Social Security M Ali and other senior officials also attended the meeting.

The meeting focused on suggestions to offer discounts to workers through the Chief Minister’s Social Security Card. Representatives from the Bank of Punjab briefed the minister on various mechanisms for providing these benefits.

The minister said following the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, steps are being taken to ensure workers receive discounts on essential items, and the implementation of this initiative will be completed soon. He stated that every possible effort is being made for the betterment of labourers.

Farmers advised to remove weeds from gram crop

The Punjab Agriculture department has advised the farmers to ensure removal of weeds from gram crop at very initial stage. A spokesman of the department said on Thursday that gram is sown in Punjab on almost 2.2 acres of land while 92 percent of gram is cultivated in rain-fed areas across the province.

Gram growers should ensure removal of weeds through hoeing, he said and added that first hoeing must be carried out after 30 to 40 days of crop growth. He further said that second hoeing after one month of first hoeing. For ‘Kabli Chana’ first water should be given after 60 to 70 days of its sowing and second watering after flower appears on the plant. He further suggested the gram growers to feel free in contacting the Agriculture department for any sort of guidance so that desired results could be achieved.