Punjab Assembly echoes with fertilizer shortage

LAHORE: Members of Punjab Assembly from both Treasury and Opposition benches on Monday took strong objection to the serious shortage of fertilizer and sale of this vital ingredient of cultivation in the black market to the poor farmers in the province.

Raising the issue on an adjournment motion, the members from both sides grilled the food and agriculture minister for not doing enough to provide the fertilizer to the growers when the entire province was echoing with the cries of the acute shortage and black marketing of the commodity.

The chair held by panel of chairman Mian Shafi ruled that the reports regarding fertilizer’s shortage and black marketing were correct and said the problem of fertilizer shortage was witnessed in the whole province, and the problem was getting out of hands.

Law Minister Raja Basharat told the House that the government was trying its best to resolve the issue and expressed hopes that situation would become easier in few days. But the members continued to raise objections and finding fault with the government machinery on the matter. To this, Raja Basharat offered that government was ready to hold a debate in the House. The chair asked the minister to fix time for the debate.

The House later passed three bills for the promotion of education in the province, including the Grand Asian University Sialkot Bill 2021, Lahore Institute of Science and Technology Lahore Bill 2021 and Ghazi National Institute of Engineering and Science Dera Ghazi Khan Bill 2021 by a majority vote. The law minister assured the House that salaries to the Christian community would be paid before Christmas. The PA session started with Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in chair.

To a question, Provincial Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun informed the House that the government would start work on establishing new universities for women in the province as soon as it secured the necessary resources for undertaking the task.