Daily Times

The 50th Punjab cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office on Tuesday, approved universal health insurance program in the province.

The CM informed the participants that the Naya Pakistan Health Card would be launched from the Lahore division by the start of January 2022 and the facility would be extended to Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala and Sargodha divisions by March 31. The cabinet approved to mention the family head name along with CNIC on the card.

It approved an agreement between Punjab Health Initiative Management Company and State Life Insurance along with the format and design of the Naya Pakistan Health Card. Around 400 billion rupees would be spent on the universal health insurance program in three years, he added, and termed it a historic step of the PTI government. Around one million free treatment facilities would be made available to every family annually through Naya Pakistan Health Card, he added. The meeting approved the opening of a separate personal ledger account and receipt and share distribution formula for the hospitals for the Universal Health Insurance Program.

The cabinet approved a draft of zero time to start up policy 2021 to ease the issuance of NOCs to promote investment and business. It approved the establishment of a girls college in Sikandria Colony Sodiwal Lahore over 34 kanal along with approving amendments in West Pakistan Board of Revenue (conduct of appeals and revision) Rules 1959 to change its name to Punjab Board of Revenue (conduct of appeals and revisions). After the approval, the decision of BoR cases would be compulsory in 180 days. Amendments in West Pakistan Board of Revenue (conduct of meeting) Rules 1959 along with the decision to introduce corporate governance reforms in Punjab Seed Corporation were approved. For this purpose, amendments to Punjab Seed Corporation Act 1976 were approved.

After it, the number of PSC board members would be increased to 16 from 9.

Amendments in Punjab Motor Vehicles Taxation Rules 1959 were approved. It would bind the Punjab registered vehicles to pay their token tax within Punjab. It was approved to allot the ‘LHC’ series for registration of Lahore High Court vehicles under the universal registration mark scheme. An amendment to Rule 42 of the second schedule of Punjab Motor Vehicles Rules 1969 was approved to grant special concession on the registration of electric vehicles in Punjab. It was decided to make an e-auction policy of vehicles’ attractive numbers’ allotment by expanding the numbers list. Wheat release policy 2021 was approved as well. The draft of the price control and prevention of profiteering and hoarding act 2021 along with the adoption of the 1977’s Act was approved to overcome hoarding, profiteering and to ensure price control. The meeting also offered fateha for the departed soul of the father of SMBR.