KARACHI: The provincial cabinet on Thursday decided to write-off Rs 7.2 billion old loans advanced to different government departments and organizations and launch e-registration, e- mutation, and e-crop assessment project under the Board of Revenue.

The meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Sayed Murad Ali Shah also decided to allot land for the establishment of state-of-art Industrial Enclaves in Hyderabad and Sukkur.

Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon, after the cabinet meeting, addressed a press conference and shared the decisions taken by the cabinet.

The finance dept briefing the cabinet on old loans for which the record was untraceable, said that Rs 7.2 billion loans advanced from 19982-83 to 2012-13 to the government department and organization may be written-off as recommended by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and sub-committee on Finance.

The cabinet was told that Rs 174.863 million loans advanced to private parties for the period from financial year 1982-83 to 1992-93 were also long outstanding for which the record is neither traceable nor recoverable.

The cabinet discussed the matter and approved the writing-off the loan of Rs 7,204,280,508 outstanding against the government organizations and directed the Finance department to inquire into the loan of Rs 174,863,627 advanced to the private organizations/parties.

Sindh Cooperatives Bank Rs 27.5 million, Forest dept Rs 4.5 million, Rs 62 million of Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), HAD Rs 1.4 billion, Sindh Sugar Corporation Rs 40.12 million, Sindh Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) Rs 666.35, SRTC Rs 200 million, KTC Rs 249.2 million, KTC Rs 253.2 million, Local govt Naushehro Feroze for salaries Rs 30 million, Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd Rs 263.48 million, Kotri Surface Drain Rs 26.18 million, Hyderabad Electric Supply Company Rs 450,000, DCO Tharparkar Rs 44,895, KDA Rs 839.86 million, KDA Rs 221.13 million, Wapda Rs162,01 million, Shah Latif University Khairpur Rs 900,000, Food dept Rs 9.52 million, Kotri Surface Drain Rs 4.39 million, Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) Rs 2.55 billion and DCO Hyderabad Rs 682.1 million.

Minister Revenue Makhdoom Mahboob told the cabinet that at present, a computerized record of rights was being maintained through a central Data Center in Karachi connected with 27 service centers across Sindh.

The record is also made available to the public through the official website of LARMIS. The District Manager & Assistant Manager have been authorized to issue true copies to the public on request and payment of the prescribed fee.

However, the services regarding registration of property documents and mutation are not being provided by the Service Centers.

For this purpose, Makhdoom Mahboob said that a new project - LARMIS-II was conceived, which contained different components such as e-registration, e-mutation, e-crop assessment, and up-gradation of Data Center, etc, and is now pending approval in the Planning & Development Department.

The cabinet was told that technical assistance from Punjab IT Board would be taken on board to develop software and implementation of e-registration and e-mutation through Service Centers of LARMIS. The cabinet approved the project.

The Board of Revenue told the cabinet that the Sindh Economic Zones Management Company (SEZMC) has requested the allotment of Government land for the establishment of State-of-Art Industrial Enclaves in District Sukkur.

The CM was informed that the state land measuring 400 acres of the A-1 category was available in Deh Nando Kohistan, Taluka Rohri located between National Highway and Motorway Road. The market price of land has been fixed at Rs 5 million per acre.

Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah suggested that the land should be given to the Investment Department free of cost as the proposed industrial estate would generate employment opportunities and boost the economy.

After a detailed discussion, it was decided to fix the price of the land at 25 percent of the market rate and the request of the SEZMC was approved.

The SEZMC also requested the cabinet for the allotment of 451.37 acres of state land at Deh Goondar situated on the Hyderabad-Tando Mohammad Khan dual carriageway and another 500 acres at Deh Ganjo Takkar, Taluka Latifabad, Hyderabad for the establishment of Industrial enclaves.

The revenue dept told the cabinet that the price of the lands has been fixed at Rs 1.25 crores and Rs 1 core respectively. The cabinet approved the allotment of the land, in principle, and constituted a committee with Minister Transport Sharjeel Memon, Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, and Special Assistant to CM Qasim Naveed to discuss the price of the land and submit the report.

The cabinet also approved the allotment of two acres of land at Deh Naseerabad, taluka Sukkur for the State Bank of Pakistan – Banking Services Corporation, Sukkur for the establishment of their office at a market price of Rs 20 million per acre. The cabinet was told that Children of Adam, USA has requested for allotment of 5 acres of state land in District Korangi, Deh Phihai, taluka Landhi for the establishment of a neuro-psychiatric center.

The cabinet approved the request and allotted five acres of land to Children of Adam for the establishment of the hospital.

Special Assistant to CM on the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) Sadiq Memon told the cabinet that the Parents Voice Association has requested the government to support the construction of Ujala-II Center for imparting different services such as Special education, Vocational Training, Family Training, Healthcare, Therapies (including speech, behaviour, Occupational and Physio) and Transpiration.

The cabinet was told that at Ujala-I the persons with disabilities were catered with Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disabilities, and cerebral Palsy. Currently, the facilities were imparted to 100 students.

It was disclosed that the DHA has allotted 400 square yards of amenity plot to Ujala-II and approved the plan for the basement, Ground floor plus four floors building. Different philanthropists are also supporting them. Ujala-II will impart different services such as an early Intervention centre, Vocational Training, Special Education, Habilitative Therapy Center, a newborn Screening Lab, Schizophrenic Clinic, Hostel, and Research Training.

The chief minister said that all services under one roof for the first time in the province for people with autism and other issues.

The cabinet decided that its DEPD department would establish a partnership with the UJALA centre and approved a Rs 200 million grant-in-aid for 2023-24 to complete their centre.

The cabinet on the proposal of Minister Labour Saeed Ghani approved the constitution of the Governing body of SESSI for a period of three years. Minister Labour would be chairman of the board while employers representatives Engr. M.A Jabbar, Mohammad Jawed Bilwani, Mohammad Danish Khan, and Khalil Baloch and the employees’ representatives include Aslam Samoo, Mukhtar Hussain, Abdul Wahid Shoro, and Mohammad Khan Abro and Secretary Labour and Secretary Finance would be the members.

The ex-officio members would be Commissioner SESSI Chairman Standing on Labour in the provincial assembly and Medical Advisor SESSI.

The CM directed the labour department to induct two women representatives, employers, and employees, into the board.

Minister Labour Saeed Ghani told the cabinet that there was no policy on pension for the retired employees of the Workers Welfare Board, Sindh.

“After retirement, the employees receive only CP funds at the rate of 8.33 percent of the current basic with interest and bonus and 365 days leave encashment. The cabinet approved the proposal.