Chief Minister Punjab Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced regularisation of all contractual employees working in different departments of the province. Addressing a press conference flanked by Senior Advisor Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa and MNA Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Shahbaz Sharif said the majority of the employees are teachers that would benefit from this decision of the Punjab government.
He also said the employees who have been made regular would avail all those privileges including pension and group insurance, benevolent fund and loans as are admissible to the regular government employees. According to him, regularisation of contract employees would promote a sense of job security among them.
These employees would also have opportunity of promotion, which was earlier denied to them. He said he believed in dignity of teachers and their employment on contract basis did not commensurate with their respect. Congratulating the contract employees on their regularisation, Chief Minister Punjab expressed the hope that they would perform their duties with honesty and hard work.
To a question, he said merit policy is being fully implemented in the province and in addition to 34,000, all recruitment in the police have been made purely on merit basis. To another question on recruitment through Public Service Commission, he said the Commission is overburdened with recruitment due to which this process is not being completed expeditiously.
Therefore, he said, a transparent system is being evolved for speedy completion of recruitment process in various departments and the candidates would not have to wait for years. Regarding sugar crisis, he said Punjab government is ensuring sale of sugar in the province at Rs 40 per kg and had to take some stringent measures including lifting of sugar from such sugar mills as were not co-operating.
"Due to effective measures taken by the government the supply of sugar at the fixed price is gradually improving," he added. to a question about National Finance Commission, the Chief Minister said the joys and sorrows of all provinces are common and they have to share the national resources. "PML-N is not afraid of by-elections and it approached High Court for the postponement of by-elections due to security concern.
The recent incidents of terrorism have proved that apprehensions of PML-N. The people are the best judge and would vote for the PML-N due to its services," he added. Expressing his sorrow over unpleasant incident at Aiwan-e-Iqbal, the Chief Minister said journalists' community is an important segment of the society and is playing an important role with regard to providing guidance to the people. He has sought report about the incident and offered apology if it had hurt anyone's feelings, he added.