Punjab forms body to help check soaring prices through subsidy

The Punjab government has decided to give a targeted subsidy to the poor people for providing relief to them and feasible proposals to this effect have been called within seven days.
The Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Tuesday chaired a meeting in which steps relating to stabilization of prices of essential items were reviewed. It was proposed in the meeting that a targeted subsidy would be given to the poor people for providing relief to them. A committee was constituted under the chairmanship of provincial industries minister Mian Aslam Iqbal which will give final shape to the plan of targeted subsidy.
Sardar Usman Buzdar said that a final plan should also be presented after considering the establishment of farmers' markets so that the growers could directly sell their vegetables. He directed effective monitoring of price control mechanism asking price control magistrates to check the rates of essential items on daily basis.
The CM maintained that crackdown should be continued against hoarders of sugar as no leniency could be shown to those responsible for creating artificial price hike. Strict action will be taken against those selling essential items at exorbitant rates, he added.
The meeting was briefed that price control magistrates have conducted more than 90 thousand inspections during the current month and a cumulative fine of Rs 27.4 million has been imposed to the shopkeepers for overcharging. Meanwhile, FIRs have been lodged against 879 persons and 820 have been arrested.
Moreover, the Chief Minister has accorded approval to recruitment of College Teacher Interns (CTIs) in public sector colleges across the province against 4500 vacant posts. Recruitment on 400 vacant posts will be made against the quota reserved for minorities and differently able persons.
A summary of higher education department has been approved by the Chief Minister and the CTIs showing satisfactory performance, during the current educational year, will be given the opportunity again. However, this would not mean an extension in their period of employment.
The Chief Minister has directed the department to devise a mechanism for monitoring CTIs' performance and has also sought recommendations regarding formulation of comprehensive policy for the recruitment of CTIs for 2020-21.
The Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar while chairing a meeting regarding population welfare said that targets of providing better healthcare and educational facilities cannot be achieved without controlling the population. He said that stakeholders of population welfare should be included in Ehsas Programme as the trend of underage marriage is needed to be discouraged. He said that tsunami of population explosion will have to be stopped to protect the natural resources because the growing population is resulting in compounding socio-economic and environmental problems.