Daily Times

The 51st provincial cabinet meeting, which was held under the chair of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office, approved an amendment to the Punjab Civil Servants Act, 1974 besides approving unanimously 32 per cent job quota for south Punjab.

The CM directed the committee to present recommendations for reserving job quotas for other backward districts, while the cabinet approved amendment to West Pakistan Rules under Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 and further decided to include the clause of an oath about the finality of Prophethood (PBUH). The marrying couples would have to testify their belief in the finality of Prophethood (PBUH) at the time of their Nikah.

The cabinet gave in-principle approval to leasing out state lands for corporate farming under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), while the CM ordered for constituting a ministerial committee to devise the lease rules. 500 to 5000 acres of land would be utilised for the purpose to create job opportunities and to modernise the agriculture sector for food security.

The CM ordered for submitting a policy for giving proprietary rights to the dwellers of kutchi abadis in the next meeting, while the cabinet also approved the Punjab Sahulat Bazaar Authority Act, 2021 to permanently establish Insaf Sahulat Bazaars up to tehsil level to provide essential items to consumers at subsidised rates. The chief minister and industries minister would be the chairman and vice-chairman of the authority.

The cabinet forwarded the issue of determination of eligibility and constitution of the search committee for posting vice-chancellor of University of Health Science, Lahore to the law department and accorded approval to amendment to the Punjab Regularisation of Services Act, 2018. Under it, it has been decided to amend rules to make permanent the contract employees of some departments. The cabinet also approved amendments to the birth control policy for pie dogs in the light of court directions, Punjab Road Safety Authority Act, 2020 and Punjab Drugs Rules, 2007.

A technical supplementary grant was also approved to give financial cover to commodity operations along with the approval of a supplementary grant for payment of mark-up and subsidy on imported sugar during the current financial year. It also decided to amalgamate technical and vocational institutions at one platform while approving the reconstitution of the district consumer protection council and Punjab Private Schools Regulatory Authority to regulate private schools, along with resolving public complaints.

The participants approved austerity measures for 2021-22 and expansion of the scope of the Waseela-e-Taleem program of secondary education and Punjab Examination Business Rules, 2021. Up-gradation of different posts was approved in the light of recommendations of the ACS-led committee and up-gradation of posts of telephone operators of all the departments was approved. Similarly, the up-gradation recommendations of prisons and other departments were also endorsed and the CM directed to present such recommendations before the cabinet without delay. Approval was granted to give DDO powers to SHO along with the approval of 720 posts of accountants (senior clerks in grade 14).

It was decided to declare unclassified forests as protected forests along with declaring Namal Lake as a wetland. It was decided to transfer rare birds from the first schedule to the third schedule and from the fourth schedule to the third schedule under Punjab Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Amendment Act, 2007. The matter of transfer of land to judicial complex Murree for its expansion was sent to the ministerial committee.

It was decided to declare Tilla Reserve Forest Kotla Jogian as a national park along with the approval of the establishment of the salt range nature reserve complex. Transfer of four-kanal land to establish model police station, Arazi Centre and Rescue-1122 station in Gujrat area of Kot Addu was given approval along with the delegation of powers to deputy commissioners under Section 196 of criminal procedure.

Similarly, in-principle approval was granted to depute staff for Phase-II of the national programme for improvement of watercourses in Pakistan (Punjab component) under PSDP and ADP. The meeting approved to immediately auction the pesticides procured for anti-locust operations in Punjab. An amendment to the Punjab Luxury House Tax Rules, 2014 and establishment of accreditation committee of higher education department was approved along with approval to amend sub-clause 3 of Punjab Finance Act, 2021. 95pc exemption on the token tax of electric vehicles in Punjab was approved and in-principle approval was given to increase the approved ceiling of guarantee and loans under sub-clause 31 of Punjab Small Industries Corporation Act, 1977 and the finance department was directed to present recommendations for increasing the ceiling of guarantee and loans. The in-principle decision was also made to present a bill to regulate Muttahida Ulema Board.