LAHORE: The Punjab Cabinet, which met with Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar in the chair, approved an amendment in the Punjab Civil Servants Act, 1974, and also unanimously reserved 32 percent job quota for southern Punjab.
The 51st provincial cabinet meeting also approved to amend the West Pakistan Rules under Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961, and further decided to include the clause of an oath about the finality of Prophethood (PBUH). The marrying couples would have to testify their belief in the finality of Prophethood (PBUH) at the time of their Nikkah.
The cabinet gave in-principle approval to lease out state lands for corporate forming under CPEC and the CM directed to constitute a ministerial committee to devise lease rules. Some 500 to 5000 acres of land would be utilised for this purpose to create job opportunities and to modernise the agriculture sector for food security.
The CM directed to submit a policy for giving proprietary rights to the dwellers of katchi abadis in the next meeting while the cabinet also approved the Punjab Sahulat Bazar Authority Act, 2021, to permanently establish Insaf Sahulat bazaars up to tehsil level to provide essential items to the consumers on subsidized rates.
The chief minister and industries minister would be the chairman and vice-chairman of the authority.
The cabinet forwarded the issue of determination of eligibility and constitution of the search committee for posting vice-chancellor of University of Health Science, Lahore, to the Law department and accorded approval to amendment in Punjab Regularization of Service Act, 2018.
Under this, it has been decided to amend rules to make permanent the contract employees of some departments.
Technical supplementary grant was also approved to give financial cover to commodity operations during 2122 along with the approval of a supplementary grant for payment of mark-up and subsidy on imported sugar during the current financial year. The cabinet also decided to amalgamate technical and vocational institutions at one platform while approving the reconstitution of the district consumer protection council and Punjab Private Schools Regulatory Authority to regulate private schools along with resolving public complaints.
The cabinet approved austerity measures for 2021-22 and expansion of the scope of the Waseela Taleem Programme of Secondary Education and Punjab Examination Business Rules, 2021. Upgradation of different posts was approved in the light of recommendations of the ACS-led committee and upgradation of posts of telephone operators of all the departments was approved.
Similarly, the upgradation recommendations of prisons and other departments were also endorsed and the CM directed to present such recommendations before the cabinet without delay. Approval was granted to give DDO powers to SHO along with the approval of 720 posts of accountants (senior clerks in grade 14).
It was decided to declare unclassified forests as protected forests along with declaring Namal Lake as a wetland. It was decided to transfer rare birds from the first schedule to the third schedule and from the fourth schedule to the third schedule under Punjab Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Amendment Act, 2007.
The matter of transfer of land to Judicial Complex Murree for its expansion was sent to the ministerial committee. It was decided to declare Tilla Reserve Forest Kotla Jogian as a national park along with the approval of the establishment of the salt range nature reserve complex. Transfer of four Kanal land to establish model police station, arazi centre and Rescue 1122 station in Gujrat area of Kot Addu was given approval along with the delegation of powers to deputy commissioners under Section 196 of criminal procedure. Similarly, in-principle approval was granted to depute staff for Phase II of the national programme for improvement of watercourses in Pakistan (Punjab component) under PSDP and ADP.
The meeting approved to immediately auction the pesticides procured for anti-locust operations in Punjab. Amendment in Punjab Luxury House Tax Rules, 2014, and establishment of accreditation committee of higher education department was approved along with approval to amend sub-clause 3 of Punjab Finance Act, 2021. About 95% exemption on the token tax of electric vehicles in Punjab was approved and in-principle approval was given to increase the approved ceiling of guarantee and loans under sub-clause 31 of Punjab Small Industries Corporation Act, 1977 and the finance department was directed to present recommendations for increasing the ceiling of guarantee and loans.
The meeting approved the annual report 2019-20 of PCTB, AGP audit report for 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 along with financial report 2018-19 of Punjab government. Information system audit report for 2019-20 about bus schedule system and automatic fare collection of PMA, Punjab governments special audit report about corona expenditures for 2019-20, annual report 2019 of Punjab Bait-ul-Maal Council, annual audit and performance report of PJA for 2016-17 and 2017-18 and annual reports of Punjab Commission on the Status of Women for 2019 and 2020 were approved.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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