Punjab cabinet approves five new cement plants

LAHORE: The 38th cabinet meeting, which held at CM Office Tuesday under the chair of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, approved 28-point agenda. It approved setting up of five cement plants worth around Rs200 billion. Their NOCs have been issued by five departments within 90 days and action has been started on 11 other applications as the CM directed to complete formalities within the stipulated period.

The cabinet approved an aid package for rain and flood-hit areas and millions of rupees would be distributed among affectees in the second and third phase of the package. It approved to waive off the imposition of an additional fee on late registration of vehicles and decided to waive off the additional fee for non-registration of vehicles from 1st April, 2020 to October 2020 in lockdown. Applications can be submitted by 15 January, 2021.

The CM asked the cabinet committee to hold fresh review of matters relating to re-registration of motor vehicles under Section 30 of Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965.

The cabinet approved the online admission system and allowed higher education department to enter into an agreement with Bank of Punjab for free online college admissions. The chief minister stated that local teachers would be recruited in hard areas' schools to fill their shortage.

The meeting endorsed the decisions of cabinet committee for privatisation and allowed to transfer 697 lands of privatisation board to divisional commissioners for auction.

Approval was granted to convert Rs10 billion temporarily loan of the Punjab government for 1,263 megawatt RLNG power plant in Trimmu area of Jhang District into sponsor support and allowed energy department for an agreement between the banking consortiums.

The cabinet approved to declare wildlife parks of Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Loi Bher (Rawalpindi) and Bansra Galli (Murree) zoological gardens and decided to develop children and family park in Shahdara along with transfer of 70-kanal land, Women’s Hostel Authority Bill, 2020 for monitoring and issuance of licences to private hostels.

Meanwhile, the recommendations of resource mobilisation committee for revision in the transport department fee will be reviewed and the cabinet standing committee for legislation will submit its final recommendations.

Amendments to Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation & Management) Rules, 1974 and Punjab Urial Conservation, Protection and Trophy Hunting (Committees) Rules, 2016 were approved along with the approval of payment mechanism of sugar imported by the TCP.

The CM directed to constitute a line departments' committee for ensuring ample stock of essential items in future. This committee will propose the necessary steps for availability or import of such items.

The federal government’s recommendations about imposing a windfall tax on natural gas and crude oil under petroleum policy, 2012 were approved and the cabinet decided to implement a new apprenticeship act in place of Apprenticeship Ordinance, 1962. Recruitment on 1142 educators’ posts in DG Khan was approved along with forwarding of the forensic audit report of Auqaf Department for 2015–18 to the departmental audit committee. The committee will present the report before cabinet standing committee for finance and development after review.

The meeting endorsed the decisions made regarding legislation over Ruet-e-Hilal Bill, 2019 and approved the appointment of Dr Shaukat Pervaiz as Rector University of Faisalabad. Appointment of Dr Syed-ul-Hassan Chishti as VC University of Sialkot, amendments to Punjab Forensic Science Agency (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2014 and annual report of Punjab Commission on the Status of Women was also approved.