Sindh cabinet okays export of 500,000 tons of wheat

The Sindh cabinet met on Wednesday for the second time in a week and gave its approval to several proposals, including the export of 500,000 tons of wheat through open sale, the establishment of a provincial grid company to construct several 792-kilovolt grid stations for renewable energy plants in the province, and a bill for the Abdul Majid Bhurgri Institute for Language Engineering (AMBILE).

The meeting was held with Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in chair at the New Secretariat. As the meeting started, the CM presented a resolution to condemn the violation of Pakistan’s airspace by the Indian Air Force.

“This cabinet condemns the violation of Pakistani airspace by the Indian Air Force and terms it a brazen violation of international law. The cabinet also rejects the false and malicious propaganda of India against Pakistan and has resolved that the government and the people of Sindh stand united against any possible Indian aggression,” the resolution read.

Wheat procurement

The food department requested the cabinet to set a new procurement target of wheat for the 2018-19 crop. The CM was informed that there was a net 800,000 tons of wheat surplus with the food department, including 360,000 tons of the last year’s crop. In consultation with the cabinet members, the CM decided to export 500,000 tons of wheat through ‘open house sale’.

A committee was constituted under Sindh Food Minister Hari Ram tasked with talking to the exporters and facilitating them regarding the export of 500,000 tons of wheat. Most of the cabinet members opposed fresh procurement drive, saying that it had never given any benefit to the small growers. The cabinet decided to defer the issue till the next cabinet meeting.

Grid company

The energy department asked the cabinet to approve the establishment of a provincial grid company so that four grid stations of 792 KV of renewable energy could be constructed in Sindh.

The provincial energy minister and secretary informed the cabinet that the Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company (STDC) had been established in the province for the evacuation of 100-megawatt power from the Sindh Nooriabad Power Company to K-Electric with a 95-kilometre-long transmission line.

Language institute

Education Minister Sardar Shah told the cabinet that an institute, AMBILE, had been proposed for the advancement of Sindhi language engineering and to bring Sindhi on a par with international languages.

The proposed institute was named after Abdul Majid Bhurgri who is considered the founder of computing in Sindhi language. His work enabled the use of Sindhi language on personal computers.

The education culture said a building to house AMBILE had been constructed in Hyderabad and now the institute needed to be operationalised by making necessary legislation. The cabinet approved the bill and referred it to the assembly.

NICVD units

The health department presented an agenda for the cancellation of a memorandum of understanding signed between the health department and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.

The department wanted the cancellation of the MoU so that the management of cardiovascular units established by the Sindh government in its hospitals and other medical institutions across the province, including Civil Hospital Mithi, Civil Hospital Khairpur, Lyari General Hospital and others, could be taken over by the provincial health authorities.

The CM said the provincial government had filed a review petition with the Supreme Court to take back the NICVD and two other health facilities from the federal government. He added that at this stage, the cancellation of MoU might affect the case. He constituted a committee to review the legal aspects of the proposed MoU cancellation.

Tax proposals

The Sindh Revenue Board proposed to levy sales tax on the services of health and life insurance, cable operators, and contractors and construction services. The CM said at present the overall financial position of the people of the province was not stable. He deferred the proposal until next cabinet meetings. The cabinet also approved the Sindh Public Finance Administration Bill 2019 and recruitment rules for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Sindh.