KARACHI: The provincial cabinet has passed a resolution reposing confidence and trust in Election Commission of Pakistan, its chairman and members and has called upon the federal government not to intervene in discharge of the constitutional obligations of the ECP.
The Sindh cabinet met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at the CM House on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, law advisor, chief secretary and concerned secretaries.
The provincial cabinet decided to engage private hospitals and laboratories in Covid-19 mass vaccination programme and encourage the private health sector to import the vaccine, allocate human resources and establish vaccination centers, especially in Karachi.
The health department told the cabinet that during Covid-19 pandemic, the provincial response to combat coronavirus was characterized by mixed public and private delivery of care.
Recently, the vaccination of 60 plus general population has been started and in the next phase, mass vaccination of all ages above 18 will be initiated. This will require involvement of the private health care sector to shoulder the efforts of the health department to vaccinate every eligible resident of the province.
The chief minister said that the government must seek the commitment, capability and the capacity of the private sector to import Covid-19 vaccine to fulfill this national duty in the most effective and efficient manner, for the relief of citizens and in a bid to help the country to return to normalcy.
The cabinet allowed the health department to engage private hospitals and laboratories in Covid-19 mass vaccination and encourage the private health sector to import COVID-19 vaccines.
The cabinet was told that the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) had forwarded a list of 958 eligible candidates (male and female) and recommended for the appointment as staff nurses, BS-16. After their appointment, the SPSC has sent a list of nine nurses, among whom the Pakistan Nursing Council Certificates of six candidates were after the cut off date while in case of three others PNC certificates were not attached.
The chief minister directed the health department not to terminate or withdraw their appointment order but convert their order into contract. The cabinet endorsed the chief minister’s directives.
The cabinet was told that the Letters of Administration and Succession Certificate Bill 2021 duly passed by the assembly in January 2021 was sent to the Governor for accord of assent thereto. The Governor has returned the bill with some observations.
The governor is of the opinion that if all the legal heirs are required for biometric verification for succession certificate, it will create problems to the legal heirs living abroad.
The cabinet keeping in view the observations of the Sindh governor referred the bill back to the committee for reconsideration. The local government department requested the cabinet to approve a loan of Rs844.159 million to clear outstanding dues of Karachi Development Authority (KDA) which would be paid back after auction of KDA plots.
The chief minister said the KDA, local bodies and market committees were autonomous bodies and they have their established system to pay their salaries, gratuity and pension to their retiring or retired employees from their resources.
The chief minister asked where their pension fund was and how they have invested and utilized it. The cabinet keeping in view the questions raised by the chief minister constituted a committee under Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah.
The provincial cabinet in November 2019 had approved the establishment of Special Courts under Sindh Building Control Ordinance (SBCO-1979) at divisional headquarters. The cabinet, with the concurrence of Chief Justice Sindh High Court approved the proposal, that the sitting district & session judges of in Karachi Division, in addition to their own work in their respective districts, would the powers to exercise the jurisdiction within their territorial limits, as vested with judges of Special Courts under Sindh Building Control Ordinance -1979.
The sitting District & Session Judges at Divisional headquarters of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas Division, in addition to their own work, would exercise the jurisdiction within their limits as vested with judges of Special Courts under SBCO-1979.
The provincial cabinet, on the recommendation of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development to reduce registration fee on mortgage for low-cost housing projects approved reduction in mortgage fee.
Under the approved proposal Mortgage under Rs1 million would be Rs15,00, Rs 1 million to Rs5 million Rs3000 and over Rs5 million Rs10,000.
On the request of the Health department the provincial cabinet approved Rs 300 million grant-in-aid in favour of Aman health care services for a period of six month, January 2021 to June 2021 for continuation of operations of Sindh Rescue and Medical Services.
The cabinet also directed the health department to get a new company registered so that funding issues could be resolved for good.
The provincial cabinet decided to allot 20 acres of land to Dawoodi Bohra Community for their graveyard near Gadap at a rate of Rs7.5 million.
The chief minister said that other communities have also requested for land for their graveyards. He directed the Board of Revenue to find out similar lands for other communities so that they could be allotted at the earliest.
The Sindh cabinet on the request of the army authorities excluded military land from Karachi Strategic Development Plan (KSDP) 2020. The military land excluded from the KSD includes 300 acres Race Course Ground, saddar Cantt and 15 acres Military land adjacent to Capri Cinema.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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