Usman Buzdar reviews latest coronavirus situation in Punjab

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar presided over a meeting at his office here on Monday to review latest coronavirus situation in the province. The meeting was attended by Corps Commander Lahore Lt. Gen. Majid Ehsan, DG Rangers Punjab Maj. Gen. Muhammad Amir Majeed, Chief Secretary, IG Police, SMBR, Chairman P&D, ACS (Home) and high level civil and military officials.

The chief minister told the meeting that doctors and health professionals engaged in the treatment of coronavirus patients will be given one month’s additional salary. The Punjab government will also give incentives to the heirs of doctors, health professionals and employees who died during the anti-coronavirus campaign under Shuhada Package, he added.

He pointed out that Punjab is the only province where The Punjab Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention Ordinance, 2020 has been enforced which has helped the administration and health department to take steps for controlling the coronavirus.

The CM stated that Rs 12 billion had been given to the health department. Section 144 is enforced in the province and very sensitive areas have been locked down in to. Similarly, SOPs have also been devised to trace the people remained in contact with the affected patients, he said. Meanwhile, new testing labs are being set up. The chief minister said that wheat harvesting will start in April and Punjab government has also increased wheat quota for the flour mills. On the other side, he announced that 5000 metric ton wheat is being given to the KPK province daily. The wheat will be procured from farmers at the rate of Rs 1400 per maund, he added.

Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Majid Ehsan assured of continuing full cooperation to the civil government and both political and military leadership decided to strictly implement governmental steps for overcoming the pandemic. The meeting reiterated that the best healthcare facilities will be provided to the patients. Steps relating to treatment facilities for the coronavirus patients, food security and food supply chain were also reviewed in detail.

Meanwhile, Usman Buzdar presided over a meeting at his office on Monday which approved Chief Minister Punjab Insaaf Imdad Package worth Rs 10 billion.

On this occasion, the CM directed to early launch the package for distribution of financial aid in the needy families through a foolproof mechanism. Rs4000 will be given to 25 lakh deserving families. He told that financial grant under Chief Minister Punjab Insaaf Imdad Package will be in addition to the relief package of the federal government to facilitate the daily wagers.

Giving detail of the package, he said that applications will be received online and after the verification of the antecedents, the money will be transferred online while complaints will also be launched online. He directed that the application form be made more simple and only necessary information like names, CNICs and mobile phone numbers of the applicants be collected. The Punjab government has taken unprecedented steps for dealing with coronavirus and the impecunious families will not be left alone, he assured.

Provincial Ministers Raja Basharat, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Hashim Jawan Bakht, CS, SMBR, Chairman P&D, ACS (Infrastructure), secretaries of Finance, Information and P&D departments and Chairman PITB attended the meeting.

Separately, Usman Buzdar has said that timely steps have been taken to deal with the coronavirus and added that PTI-led federal and Punjab governments have announced the best package worth billions of rupees for providing relief to the daily wage earners.

In a statement issued here on Monday, the CM maintained that coronavirus is a collective challenge of the whole world and regretted that opposition is engaged in politics over this sensitive issue. Regrettably, the opposition tried of point-scoring over coronavirus pandemic and its jangling discord over this important issue is deplorable. The negative role being played by the opposition in this hour of trial will not be remembered in good words, he maintained. Usman Buzdar maintained that opposition is engaged in hollow sloganeering as it has not done anything practical. Today, the nation needs unity as the national debt can be retired through collective efforts. Prime Minister Imran Khan has always stressed for taking collective actions and the nation will surely win the battle against coronavirus under his leadership, concluded the chief minister.