Daily Times

Upon the directions of Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has started a program to dole out model food stalls to the needy to help them to earn an honourable livelihood.

CM Usman Buzdar distributed documents of model food stalls among the needy persons at his office on Friday. He also distributed commendation certificates among the PFA officials and appreciated that the authority has emerged as a valuable institution to provide hygienic and adulteration-free food items to the citizens. DG PFA Rafaqat Ali briefed the CM about the departmental performance.

The PTI government has introduced important reforms while improving the operational capacity of the authority, he added and appreciated that PFA’s R&D section has developed its food testing kit and the scope of medical screening of people attached with food businesses will be further extended to ten different districts. Similarly, milk testing labs are being established in Multan and Rawalpindi and legislation will also be made to make adulteration a non-bailable offence, he added. Two latest food labs will be set up in south Punjab, the CM affirmed. The government has provided resources to the PFA to perform better and a special squad has been constituted to check food quality at motorways, he further said. Provincial Ministers Mian Mahmood-ur-Rashid, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Murad Raas, food secretary and others were also present.

Meanwhile, Aurangzeb Khichi MNA, Provincial Minister Jehanzeb Khichi, MPAs Syed Abbas Ali Shah, Iftikhar Gondal, Ghazanfar Abbas Chheena and others called on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office to discuss different matters. They also congratulated the CM over the success of the PTI candidate in PP-38.

Talking on the occasion, the CM said past governments performed less while constantly boasting about their achievements. They ignored public needs while starting exhibitory projects and Pakistan was deviated from its destination due to their wrong policies, he regretted. The land grabbers were officially patronized in the past but the incumbent government has initiated across the board action against all such squatters and state lands worth more than 450 billion have been retrieved in a short time, he told. The retrieved lands are being utilized for public welfare as action is initiated against powerful corrupts by the PTI-led government.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is moving towards its destination as holistic reforms have been introduced in different sectors besides starting public welfare projects in a short period of three years, he maintained. I continue to resolve issues of parliamentarians while treating them as my own; he added and repeated that public service is his core agenda.

Separately, Punjab Social Welfare Department has decided to launch an online programme to register special persons. In this regard, the meeting chaired by Minister for Social Welfare Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari reviewed the progress on the pilot project of Disabled Persons Management Information System.

Briefing the meeting on the pilot project, Director General Social Welfare Punjab Shahid Niaz said that the Disabled Persons Management Information System is a unique program of its kind under which special persons would be able to apply for disability certificate at home.

The minister said that rehabilitation of special persons is an important step of the government of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Bazdar under which various programs are being taken forward. Medical boards will also be able to form online for check-ups under the Disabled Persons Management Information System. Special persons will be able to get the necessary guidance while sitting at home.

Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari said that all social welfare institutions would be digitized in phases. He directed that meetings of medical boards should be held regularly. Time should be given on a first come first served basis. And no one should be discriminated. An awareness campaign about the pilot project should also be launched, he further directed. DG Social Welfare Shahid Niaz said that a mobile app for this program will also be developed. He said that the schedule of the medical board should be fixed in all the districts so that the applicants do not face any problem.