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Friday March 29, 2024

Two-tier local government system on the cards

By Our Correspondent
January 18, 2019

LAHORE : Punjab Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has said that two-tier local government system will be taking place in Punjab.

He expressed these views while addressing the Inter-Provincial Meeting on Local Government Departments. The ministers of local government departments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were also present beside the high-ranking officers from Sindh.

Abdul Aleeem Khan said the basic issue was to undertake maximum developmental work with the consultation of local people, for which, new concepts of village and neighbourhood councils would play an important role in Punjab. He said that no local government system could be viable without assigning financial and administrative powers and in Punjab such powers would be delegated at the village level.

He said 30 per cent of annual development programme in Punjab would be allocated to local government institutions and every council would be authorised to start its own developmental project.

The senior provincial minister constituted a committee comprising the local government secretaries of Local and director generals which would complete its findings within two months to formulate new local government system in the province.

He said that exchange of views on such important issues of local government within the provinces played an important role in building consensus and this practice should be carried on in future as well.

Balochistan Minister Mohammad Saleh Bhotani stressed that these institutions were much needed in the far-flung areas of Pakistan and those localities should be targeted where developmental targets were not achieved so far. Mohammad Saleh Bhotani invited all the participants to hold the next inter-provincial meeting in Quetta, Baluchistan.

KP Local Government Minister Shahram Khan Tarkai in his speech said that local government institutions played a role of nursery for the democracy as 20 male and 9 female members of KP Assembly were elected from different local governments.

The representatives from all the four local councils also participated in the meeting. Corruption-free Pakistan: Punjab Minister for Industry, Commerce and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal said that restructuring of Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) will be helpful in improving the small and medium enterprises in the province.

Presiding over a meeting regarding restructuring plan of PSIC here on Thursday, the minister reviewed a comprehensive plan of restructuring PSIC. Consultant of Hassan Naeem & Company briefed the meeting about the restructuring plan. Secretary Industries Nadeem-ur-Rehman, MD PSIC and officers concerned attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, the minister said PSIC has to perform its effective role for the promotion of small and medium industries in the province.

The PSIC will be strengthened and made fully functional through effective reforms. He said in the light of recommendations this institute will be reorganised. He said there should be strong internal audit system of PSIC.

He said corruption free and transparent new Pakistan is ‘our destination and every possible effort will be made to achieve this target’.

He said the link between PSIC and industry will be strengthened. He said there should be no overlapping between the working of Punjab Industrial Estate Development Company and PSIC. He said district and regional offices of the PSIC will also be strengthened. A proposal of registration of SMEs in PSIC was also reviewed in the meeting.

Earlier, the minister inaugurated the project of carpeting Fathegarh Road Samanabad. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said after the completion of the project, people of the area will get better facilities. He said the Punjab government is spending every penny of national exchequer honestly for the provision of basic facilities to the masses. A large number of people gathered there and thanked the minister for this project.

LGH distinction: In the annual results of Punjab Nursing Board for the first year, two students of Nursing College of Lahore General Hospital have got two positions. In Punjab, Sana Arif stood first by getting 698 while Rizwana Bibi secured 687 marks and got second in the examination.

Post Graduate Medical Institute Principal Prof Mohammad Tayyab has congratulated Nursing College Principal Razia Bano, faculty members & both the students and expressed hope that this example set would be followed by other students as well. He said the Lahore General Hospital was custodian of its traditions and these would continue in future.

Prof Tayyab said out of 45 nursing colleges holding first two positions by the LGH prove ability of faculty and students. He directed the administration of the college to display the photographs of both the students for one month in the college. Position holder students, Sana Arif and Rizwana Bibi, called this success the fruit of the hardworking of their teachers and prayers of their parents.

date sheet: Punjab University has issued date sheet of MA/ MSc part-II supplementary examination 2018. Details are also available on PU website.