LAHORE: The new Punjab cabinet in its maiden meeting held with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in the chair accorded approval to ‘Ramazan Nigahban Relief Package 2024’ under which around 6.5 million relief hampers will be delivered at the doorsteps of deserving families.
More than 30 million people will benefit from the program. The “Ramazan Nigahban Relief” hamper will contain 10-kg flour, 2-kg rice, 2-kg sugar, 2-kg ghee and 2-kg besan.
The CM tasked district administrations and the Punjab Food Authority to ensure quality of food items in the hampers. She directed the urban unit and special branch to submit a daily report on the delivery of Ramazan Nigahban hampers after conducting a physical survey of the beneficiaries.
The CM said, “delivery of hampers will be monitored through an app and dashboard developed by PITB.” She also directed the provincial ministers to strictly monitor the distribution of Ramazan Nigahban hampers. She said, “profiteers and hoarders should be dealt with iron hands during Ramadan, and the price control magistrates should be given proper training to keep an effective check on the price hike.”
The cabinet also approved setting up of Model Ramazan bazaars at district level to provide subsidized commodities to common man. The CM directed the provincial ministers to work day in and day out with full coordination and dedication to ensure maximum relief to people in the holy month of Ramazan. She directed to constitute a special ministerial committee for the effective monitoring of Ramadan Nigahban Relief Program.
The CM congratulated all her cabinet colleagues, especially Punjab’s first Sikh minister, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, on assuming charge of his ministry.
In the first meeting of the provincial cabinet, a detailed briefing was given to the ministers on the working procedure of cabinet under Punjab Government Rules of Business 2011. The cabinet also accorded approval for the constitution of cabinet standing committee on finance and development, cabinet standing committee on legislative business, and cabinet standing committee on law and order.
Provincial Ministers, chief secretary, inspector general of police, chairman P&D, SMBR, chairman PITB, secretaries concerned and other officers of the relevant departments attended the meeting.
Moreover, while chairing a high-level meeting on Higher Education Scholarships and I-Pad Scheme, the CM said, “education sector should not be run in a non-productive and directionless manner and educational institutions including the Higher Education Commission will be equipped on modern lines.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024