NA calls for early construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed three separate resolutions including a resolution urging the government to take steps for early construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam. MNA Khalida Mansoor moved the resolution on the Diamer-Bhasha dam. Lal Chand presented the resolution to stop forced conversions and marriages of women belonging to minorities and Mussarat Ahmad Zeb also moved a resolution to rename Swat Airport as "Major General Sanaullah Khan Niazi Shaheed Airport," in the House. The House unanimously adopted all these resolutions.
Responding to a calling attention notice, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said that National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) determined tariff of the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and security expenditure was included in the project cost.
Responding to a point of order of Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Barjees Tahir said that China-Pakistan Economic-Corridor was not any province specific but it was for the whole country. He rejected the impression that the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa had been ignored in the mega projects. He once again made it clear that CPEC would benefit all the provinces including Gilgit-Baltistan.
The National Assembly was also informed that the federal government is working in cooperation with the provincial governments to check the menace of spurious and substandard medicines. This was stated by Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Darshan while responding to a calling attention notice in the House. He informed the House that a fine of Rs 70 million rupees was imposed on the companies involved in sale of substandard drugs during 2015-16.
The National Commission on the Status of Women (Amendment) bill 2016 was presented before the house. The chair referred the bill to the relevant standing committee for further discussion. The present commission has been working without a permanent chairperson for the last many months. Therefore, it is needed that existing law of Commission should be amended to give a clear time frame to the government to appoint chairperson to make the commission more effective, the bill says.
MNA Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan, chairman Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, presented the report on the bill to provide for the rehabilitation and welfare of the un-attended orphan children, "The un-attended Orphans (Rehabilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2016." The law will provide facilities like education, health and security to orphan children and the society can succeed to make them respectable and useful citizens.