The federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Tuesday approved the request of the inquiry commission probing the increase in sugar prices to extend the time for submission of the report by three weeks.
The commission tasked with the forensic examination of the sugar shortage in the country had sought three-week time for submission of a thorough report.
The federal cabinet also approved the assistance package for Covid-19 pandemic-related healthcare workers. Any healthcare worker who dies while performing duties related to Covid-19 will be entitled to the same package as is applicable to the government servants in cases of security-related deaths contained in the Shuhada Package. It will be applicable in the domain of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
The prime minister directed to ban the export of all edible items which are consumed by the common man in the wake of the current situation. The decision will be reviewed after two weeks, a PM Office press release said.
The prime minister, in his remarks, said the government has planned to offer state-owned land located in major cities to the overseas Pakistanis in order to generate much need financial resources. He also directed all the ministries to expedite setting up of think tanks comprising area experts and professionals in the ministries in order to bring about qualitative improvement in their overall performance and output.
The cabinet ratified the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee taken in its meetings held on April 22 and 27. While approving Rs 75 billion relief package, in the first phase for the workers, the prime minister directed his special assistant for social welfare and minister for industries to devise a comprehensive mechanism for providing relief to the labourers.
The cabinet ratified the recommendations of the CCLC (Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases) made in its meeting on April 27.
Advisor on Finance Dr Abdul Hafiz Shaikh briefed the cabinet about the progress made in regulating the affairs of Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP). The cabinet approved the appointment of Shaista Bano Gillani as acting chairperson of the CCP.
The cabinet approved, in principle, ‘Netting of Financial Contracts Bill, 2020’ to remove any uncertainty in enforcing the netting rights in case of a termination event, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, limit the power of the liquidators to prevent any cherry picking of qualified financial contracts/transactions, which fall under the ambit of netting provisions, ad allow financial collateral arrangements under such netting rights. Once the law is enforced the qualified financial contracts will always be settled on the basis of ‘netting’ in the presence of the netting arrangement.
The cabinet approved a proposal to notify that all the companies supplying electricity or gas through distribution or transmission line be members of a credit bureau and to furnish information in accordance with the Credit Bureau Act, 2015. While approving allocation for a grant-in-aid from the federal government for the journalists and journalistic bodies, especially press clubs, the cabinet tasked Minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to PM for Information Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa to finalize procedure/standard operating procedures for disbursement of the grant to the deserving journalists and journalistic bodies.
The cabinet approved the restructuring of the Board of Directors of Pak-Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO). Aftab Hussain (Sindh), Abdul Hadi Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and Ms Bushra Naz Malik (Punjab/ Women Representative) have been approved as members on the PARCO Board. It also approved the nomination of director against the casual vacancies of the Board of Directors of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, and Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority. The cabinet approved the modalities for the export of chloroquine by importers in possession of raw material.
Special Assistant to the PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza briefed the cabinet about the latest situation of COVID-19
Meanwhile, the government has decided to review the appointments that were made without getting approval from the federal cabinet. A notification has been issued to all the ministries and divisions seeking complete data of non-approved appointments till April 30. The relevant authorities have been directed to submit details on appointments made after August 18, 2016, without cabinet’s approval.
As per Supreme Court (SC) directives, the decision of federal cabinet on the recruitment process is taken as the decision of the federal government.
Moreover, the cabinet secretary has been instructed to brief the cabinet over the matter on May 5.