Changes to MTI act empowers medical institutions
Amendment to the MTI Act empowered medical teaching institutes to create, redesign posts in accordance with needs
K-P Assembly. PHOTO: AFP
PESHAWAR:
The provincial assembly was busy with actual legislation on Tuesday as it passed the K-P Medical Teaching Institutes Reforms (Amendment) Act 2016 and the K-P Antiquities Act 2016. The latter replaced the Antiquities Act, 1997.
Amendment to the MTI Act empowered medical teaching institutes to create, redesign or eliminate posts in accordance with their needs. However, they must ensure the financial implications do not exceed the approved annual budget.
Minister for Health Shahram Tarakai moved a resolution in the house to pass the bill. Minister for Law Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi also moved resolutions to pass the K-P Public Service Commission (Amendment) Act, 2016 and K-P Antiquities Act, 2016.
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The house managed to pass the bills without any confrontation from the opposition side. Only Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker Munawar Khan objected when Tarakai moved the resolution, saying members of the house were unaware of the bill’s content. He also drew the attention of the house to paramedics protesting outside on Khyber Road.
Shahram then went on to explain the details of the bill. “The government has given autonomy to medical teaching institutes through the law and amendment will make them more autonomous.” He added the government would now give these entities a one-line budget rather than grant in aid to use according to their needs.
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Impact of the antiquities act
The K-P Antiquities Act 2016 calls for the establishment of an advisory committee, conservation heritage board, antiquities trade control wings, training cell and conservation laboratory. The house also defined stricter penalties and fines on anyone damaging the province’s cultural relics.
The minister for sports and culture will be the chairman of the advisory committee, while the chairman of the K-P Assembly Standing Committee on Culture will be vice chairman. The archaeology director will be the secretary of the committee, while director general of the Federal department of archaeology and three eminent scholars, archaeologists or social activists with relevant expertise, shall be members appointed by the government for a non-extendable period of three years.
Through the legislation, control wings will have trained officers posted to examine and control trade and export of antiquities in coordination with custom officers. Officers will be posted at important exit points of the province including airports, dry ports and land routes. Officials of the control wings shall also be responsible for curbing illegal digging at archaeological sites and monuments, while they would protect important and registered antiquities. Also, these wings will ensure there are no encroachments.
Under the new law, owners of protected antiquities shall be punishable up to three years in prison and a fine as high as Rs1 million or both if they alter, repair or renovate protected antiquities.
The law stated anyone damaging or destroying a protected antiquity could be sentenced up to five years in prison with a fine as high as Rs2 million. The punishment for trafficking movable antiquities would also be up to five years or fine up to Rs1 million. Similarly, no one can deal in the sale or purchase of antiquities.
Going (too) cheap
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Qurban Ali Khan from Nowshera raised the issue of land acquisition for Colonel Sher Khan Industrial Estate. He said property for the estate was sold at Rs15,000 per kanal by the government. Qurban pointed out FIRs were registered against those protesting over the low price of the land located on the motorway. He said the demonstrators were arrested and remained behind bars.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2016.
The provincial assembly was busy with actual legislation on Tuesday as it passed the K-P Medical Teaching Institutes Reforms (Amendment) Act 2016 and the K-P Antiquities Act 2016. The latter replaced the Antiquities Act, 1997.
Amendment to the MTI Act empowered medical teaching institutes to create, redesign or eliminate posts in accordance with their needs. However, they must ensure the financial implications do not exceed the approved annual budget.
Minister for Health Shahram Tarakai moved a resolution in the house to pass the bill. Minister for Law Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi also moved resolutions to pass the K-P Public Service Commission (Amendment) Act, 2016 and K-P Antiquities Act, 2016.
RTI law: K-P Assembly urged to pass amendments
The house managed to pass the bills without any confrontation from the opposition side. Only Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker Munawar Khan objected when Tarakai moved the resolution, saying members of the house were unaware of the bill’s content. He also drew the attention of the house to paramedics protesting outside on Khyber Road.
Shahram then went on to explain the details of the bill. “The government has given autonomy to medical teaching institutes through the law and amendment will make them more autonomous.” He added the government would now give these entities a one-line budget rather than grant in aid to use according to their needs.
A national affair at K-P Assembly: MPAs push for implementing minority job quota
Impact of the antiquities act
The K-P Antiquities Act 2016 calls for the establishment of an advisory committee, conservation heritage board, antiquities trade control wings, training cell and conservation laboratory. The house also defined stricter penalties and fines on anyone damaging the province’s cultural relics.
The minister for sports and culture will be the chairman of the advisory committee, while the chairman of the K-P Assembly Standing Committee on Culture will be vice chairman. The archaeology director will be the secretary of the committee, while director general of the Federal department of archaeology and three eminent scholars, archaeologists or social activists with relevant expertise, shall be members appointed by the government for a non-extendable period of three years.
Through the legislation, control wings will have trained officers posted to examine and control trade and export of antiquities in coordination with custom officers. Officers will be posted at important exit points of the province including airports, dry ports and land routes. Officials of the control wings shall also be responsible for curbing illegal digging at archaeological sites and monuments, while they would protect important and registered antiquities. Also, these wings will ensure there are no encroachments.
Under the new law, owners of protected antiquities shall be punishable up to three years in prison and a fine as high as Rs1 million or both if they alter, repair or renovate protected antiquities.
The law stated anyone damaging or destroying a protected antiquity could be sentenced up to five years in prison with a fine as high as Rs2 million. The punishment for trafficking movable antiquities would also be up to five years or fine up to Rs1 million. Similarly, no one can deal in the sale or purchase of antiquities.
Going (too) cheap
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Qurban Ali Khan from Nowshera raised the issue of land acquisition for Colonel Sher Khan Industrial Estate. He said property for the estate was sold at Rs15,000 per kanal by the government. Qurban pointed out FIRs were registered against those protesting over the low price of the land located on the motorway. He said the demonstrators were arrested and remained behind bars.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2016.