Scholarships for kiln kids from April

LAHORE

Provincial Minister for Labour and Human Resources Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said that, under Chief Minister’s Free Educational Package besides provision of free education, books, stationery, uniforms, shoes and other facilities, payment of scholarships on quarterly basis will be made for the children of kiln workers from new academic session starting from April.

He expressed this while presiding over a meeting of the officers of the Labour Department to review steps being taken regarding free educational package. The minister said provincial representatives, police, administration and every person of the society would have to play an important role in ensuring complete elimination of child labour from brick kilns. 

He said Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif was monitoring steps being taken for elimination of child labour. He said officers showing outstanding performance would be encouraged while those displaying poor performance would be reprimanded. He directed the officers of the Labour Department to evolve a comprehensive plan for the eradication of child labour from brick kilns as well as hotels, workshops and other places and complete final recommendations within 30 days in this regard for which Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif would give final approval. 

Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said labour, literacy and other concerned departments should ensure implementation of free educational package for the children of kiln workers through coordinated contacts and joint strategy. He said Rs. 1,000 would be given to those kiln workers who got enrolled their children with schools as encouragement in the beginning of every educational session.

Institute: Secretary Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Najam Ahmed Shah has directed that immediate steps should be taken for completing the civil works of the existing under-construction building of Fatima Jinnah Institute of Dental Sciences and making it functional within six months. He further directed that recommendations based on various options should be submitted within a week for fully benefiting the large building of the Institute.

He issued these directions while visiting the under-construction building of Fatima Jinnah Institute of Dental Sciences Jubilee Town, according to a handout issued on Monday. Principal Dental Sciences Prof. Waheed-ul-Hameed, Chief Engineer Building Tariq Chaudhary, Chief Planning Officer Abdul Haq Bhatti, Project Director and other officers were also present. A detailed briefing was given to the Secretary Health about the project. He was told that infrastructure of the building of the Institute had been completed while some civil and finishing work was incomplete and its covered area was 250,000 sq.ft.

The secretary health said steps should also be taken for giving final shape to electricity, water, sewerage and other arrangements. He said besides dental college, campus of Amiruddin Medical College could also be set up in such a large building as Amiruddin Medical College still had no building. Moreover, the campus of dental students can also be set up by affiliating the Institute with the Allama Iqbal Medical College. Najam Ahmed Shah said various options would be considered for best utilisation of this precious building. He said government would provide funds for completing the existing building and making it functional.