Depts’ lack of interest hampers PA business: Basharat

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat has said due to lack of interest of provincial departments, there are difficulties in running the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly smoothly in respect of assembly business regarding provincial departments.

He was addressing a meeting on Assembly Business chaired by him at Civil Secretariat here on Thursday. Focal persons of all provincial departments nominated for the Punjab Assembly, including Law Secretary, were present. Expressing deep concern over non-attendance of assembly secretariat by focal persons to collect next day business, the law minister said Punjab Assembly Speaker Ch Pervaiz Elahi had especially stressed the need to improve the situation. He urged the focal person of each department to receive the agenda of the next day from the Office of Law Department and Parliamentary Affairs at the end of daily assembly session and mark attendance in existing register thereon. He said whatever the next day's assembly business would be, the focal person would immediately bring it to the notice of his secretary and minister so that they could prepare timely answers.

Raja Basharat warned that if there was any negligence in this matter in future, it would be brought to the notice of the Punjab chief secretary and appropriate action would be taken. Each provincial department has appointed a deputy secretary level officer as focal person for the collection of assembly business.

investment: Provincial Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal talking to a delegation of investors in his office said that the government’s business-friendly measures have yielded positive results.

According to a handout issued here on Thursday, Aslam Iqbal said now Punjab has become a new destination for local and foreign investors and new investments of over Rs300 billion have been made in the last three and a half years, 1,218 new industrial units are being set up in small industrial estates, he said. The minister said that 16 new cement plants have been approved in Punjab out of which six cement plants will be set up in Khushab, three in DG Khan, five in Mianwali and two in Jhelum. The installation of new cement plants will create billions of rupees of investment and thousands of new jobs. He said that one window facility has been provided to the industrialists in Punjab for investment and an investment facilitation centre has also been set up for the convenience of investors. He said zero NOC policy was also being introduced and provision of modern infrastructure in industrial estates is being ensured. Investors should take advantage of investor-friendly environment in Punjab, he urged.