Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said present government was pursuing a comprehensive plan aimed at providing better professional atmosphere to workers, and he termed the 'International Technology Award for Humanity 2005' to Punjab an enviable achievement.
He was speaking at a press briefing on the occasion of the announcement of the 'International Technology Award for Humanity' here on Thursday. Among others, Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Rasool, Secretary Industries Javed Majeed, Secretary Social Welfare Saeed Ahmad Khan, Labour Secretary Shahnawaz Badar and Center for Better Working Conditions and Environment Director Saeed Ahmad Awan were also present on this occasion.
The Chief Minister also inspected the state-of-the-art loom on the basis of which the Punjab had been awarded the 'International Technology Award 2005'. He directed the Bank of Punjab and the Punjab Small Industries Corporation to launch a micro-credit scheme for purchase of such looms, as might bring economic stability to the families association with carpet industry.
He announced the workers would be provided with loans so that they might do business with the sense of ownership. He disclosed over 300 gadgets to ease the working of workers, were selected from as many as 64 countries in a world competition held in the US, and Punjab province from Pakistan got first position.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister pointed out that Punjab government was paying special attention to providing employment to the people in rural areas, particularly, the women folk. He expressed hope that use of newly designed loom on one hand would eliminate child labour and would increase the income of people on the other.
According to him, the government had widened the sphere of health facilities for workers through social security. At the moment, over 550,000 workers of over 30,000 industrial and commercial concerns and their approximately 3.3 million dependents were benefiting from social security health facilities.
The government has formulated industrial policy for development of the province, the basic purpose of which was to provide maximum facilities to industrial concerns with minimum government intervention.
The CM disclosed as many as 26 schools had been opened in various districts of the province for quality education of workers' children. He said labour complexes were being constructed in all industrial estates of the province where residential colonies for workers, hospitals, schools for their children and vocational training institutes were being ensured. "In addition to this, the Child Welfare and Protection Bureau has also been established for rehabilitation of beggars and destitute innocent children to make them beneficial citizens of the society.