Cabinet reposes trust in CM Usman Buzdar, approves Rs8bn Ramazan package

LAHORE: The 52nd Punjab Cabinet meeting met under Chief Minister Usman Buzdar reposed a complete trust on the CM and approved around Rs8billion Ramazan package 2022 on Tuesday.

A 10-kg flour bag would be sold at Rs450 in Ramazan bazaars as the government would provide around Rs4billion subsidy. Similarly, 13 food items would be provided at the rates of the previous year in Ramazan bazaars. A one-kg sugar bag would be sold for Rs10 less than the market price. Similarly, chicken would be available at Rs10 less per kg and eggs at Rs5 per dozen less. As many 317 Ramazan bazaars, 30 in Lahore, 19 in Faisalabad, 16 each in Rawalpindi and Gujranwala and 12 each in Kasur and Bahawalpur would be set up across the province from last week of Sha'aban where agri fair price shops would also be established to provide eatables at affordable rates.

The Ramazan bazaars would serve as Eid bazaars after the 20th of Ramazan.

The cabinet approved wheat procurement policy 2022-23 to purchase 35 lakh metric ton wheat at the rate of 2,200 per maund. The procurement target would be enhanced if needed and the meeting further decided to effectively curtail the illegal movement of wheat.

An eight-member provincial level committee was also formulated to procure wheat. Monitoring committees would monitor the procurement process at different levels. Temporary staff would also be hired for this purpose.

The cabinet decided to hand over the administration of four nationalised missionary schools to the US Presbyterian Church and approved the act for new universities to be set up in Attock, TT Singh, Rajanpur, Hafizabad, Pakpattan, Gujranwala, Taunsa, Kamalia, Layyah and DG Khan.

The new universities could set up sub-campuses in their respective districts only. It also approved a new search committee comprising Rector, NUST, Lt-Gen (Retd) Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Prof Akmal Hussain, Syed Tahir Shahbaz, Chairperson, PHEC, and secretary higher education department for posting of VC of Punjab University.

It approved to construct a graduate girl college over 34-kanal land in Sikandria Colony in Lahore along with the approval of 15,000 acres of Cholistan land for military schedule.

Conditional approval of a settlement between PSCA and Huawei was granted as the company would repair and upkeep of CCTVs for two years.