Sindh Minister for Information and Labor, Saeed Ghani along with Sindh Minister for Local Government, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that the Sindh cabinet has approved that following the "Ease of Doing Business Reforms" there would be no registration fee for registration of shop. He said that now if anyone opens a new shop for doing business, he would not have to pay the registration fee, while the registration would be done online without any fee. He said this while briefing the journalists after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Sindh Minister for Local Government, Forest & Wildlife, and Religious Affairs Syed Nasir Hussain Shah was also present on the occasion. The Cabinet meeting was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. All the provincial ministers, advisers, chief secretary and other relevant officers attended the meeting. Saeed Ghani said that Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah while addressing the members of the cabinet said that, since it was the first cabinet meeting of the year, therefore everyone should vow to remain committed towards working for the welfare of the people as much as possible. He also directed the cabinet members to try to get the ongoing development works completed as soon as possible. About various others decisions taken during the cabinet meeting Sindh Minister for Information, Archives and Labor Saeed Ghani has said that the provincial cabinet in its meeting had asked all departments to submit the facility-wise vacancy position to the Chief Minister's House by January 15. Saeed Ghani said that the Chief Minister Sindh had directed all the departments to state their position with regard to the number of vacancies available with them, so that the vacancies could be advertised for recruitment.
PTDC: Saeed Ghani said that the Sindh cabinet again expressed serious concern that the federal government had yet to transfer the assets of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation to the provinces even after the passage of years since the passing of 18th Amendment. The provincial cabinet decided that the Sindh government would write a letter to the federal government regarding the transfer of these properties to the provincial government, the minister said. Under the 18th amendment the ministry of Tourism had been devolved to the provinces. The Minister said that during the briefing the cabinet was informed that the assets of PTDC that had been yet to be devolved to Sindh included the tourist information centre in Karachi, a 14 room motel at Hawksbay, the tourism information centre in Thatta, a 13 room motel at Moenjodaro, and a piece of land of PTDC in Sukkur.
BLUE CARBON INITIATIVE: Saeed Ghani said that the cabinet after discussion approved to go ahead for signing an agreement with Calcum Environmental Solution Pvt Ltd under Sindh Blue Carbon initiative. Under this agreement the private party would invest Rs 25 million, he added. The Minister said that the cabinet was informed that the Blue Carbon is the carbon stored and sequestered in coastal ecosystem such as mangrove forest, seagrass meadows, or intertidal saltmarshes. Provincial cabinet was informed that mangroves had been planted in Delta on an area of five lakh acres in Indus. Sindh Forest Department would plant mangroves on 2.5 million hectares area under Public Private Partnership.
REGULARIZATION OF ILLEGAL JETTIES: Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani said that Sindh Cabinet also approved regularization of all illegal jetties. He said that Fisheries Minister Abdul Bari Patafi while briefing the cabinet told that influential people had made their private jetties and that there was no legal check on them. He said that owing to these illegal jetties a loss of four to five billion rupees was being incurred annually.
The provincial minister said that the cabinet was also informed that there were 33 illegal jetties operating at this moment in time. It included 12 in Ibrahim Haidri, five in Mauripur, six in Thatta-Badin, Sakro and Gharo, while 10 in Balochistan belt. After regularizing these jetties, a monitoring system would be installed in them, he added.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RULES: The Cabinet also approved Sindh Occupational Safety and Health Rules, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani said. The provincial Minister for Information said that under these rules, every employer would have to set up a safety committee. The cabinet was told that these rules were finalized in consultation with all the stakeholders, and that the word 'Workers' mentioned in these rules would also be used for agriculture workers.
TROPHY HUNTING: Saeed Ghani told that the Sindh cabinet after discussion also permitted trophy hunting in Sindh. He said that the cabinet was informed that the trophy hunting did not take place in the protected area. The cabinet was told that the population of ibex in Kohistan was 26,000 and they lived in the protected area. Provincial Minister for Information explained that the hunting had been permitted of only those animals that lived outside the protected area.