Punjab chief minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif met newly-inducted provincial ministers Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan and Khawaja Muhammad Manshaullah Butt, and warmly welcomed their inclusion in the provincial cabinet. Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan has been appointed as Provincial Minister for Law, while Khawaja Muhammad Manshaullah Butt has been given the portfolio of Provincial Minister for Labour and Human Resource. Both ministers expressed their complete confidence in the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and extended their heartfelt gratitude to the leadership of PML-N for entrusting them with this responsibility. Matters pertaining to politics, national affairs and law & order situation in the province were discussed in the meeting.
Law Minister Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan appreciated Chief Minister Punjab’s vision for a peaceful Punjab, noting that a visible improvement in law and order has been achieved within a short span of few months. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif emphasized on the need to ensure transparency in registering factory workers, labourers and directed the Labour Minister to ensure strict compliance of rules in this regard. She also directed him to ensure timely and accurate disbursement of stipulated wages, and underscored, “Protection of life and property of citizens across Punjab is our foremost priority.”
Separately, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in her special message on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty said that this day is observed to draw attention of global community towards millions of people deprived of basic necessities of life. She highlighted that poverty alleviation holds special significance for developing countries, as unequal distribution of resources gives rise to social issues like poverty. She underscored that limiting access to the provision of basic facilities like health and education to poor segments of society also hinders sincere efforts to reduce poverty across the globe.
Chief Minister revealed that Punjab government has created excellent employment opportunities for thousands of people by launching initiatives like ‘Aasan Karobar’ Business Card and ‘Aasan Karobar’ Finance. She noted that public welfare projects like Ration Card for millions of workers and labourers is also a major milestone for poverty reduction in the province. She disclosed that the Punjab government is providing youth with opportunities in IT and technical education in order to cater needs of industrial market. She highlighted that projects like Nawaz Sharif IT City, RUDA and Ravi Green City will generate employment opportunities for millions of people.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that ‘Suthra Punjab’ project alone has provided employment to more than 150,000 people, which is a record achievement in the history of Punjab. She added that historic projects providing state-of-the-art health, education and transport facilities have also been launched for the people of underdeveloped and remote districts across Punjab. She reaffirmed that poverty reduction and improving living standards of the people of Punjab are among foremost priorities of the Punjab government.