Kissan Package: Entire record of police officials digitised: CM

Shahbaz says agriculture bedrock of national economy

LAHORE: The entire record of all police officials has been digitised, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Tuesday.

The chief minister made the remarks while chairing a meeting convened to review steps taken to harness technology to introduce reforms across the department. Sharif said the use of state-of-the-art technology would transform thana culture and revamp police operations. The chief minister said data of over 150,000 police officials was available in digital format.

He said information desks had been established across 200 police stations province-wide. Sharif said all police stations would feature such a desk soon. He said the establishment of information desks ensured the immediate registration of complaints and the consequent lodging of an FIR. Sharif stressed the importance of monitoring information desk operations to guarantee performance.

The law minister, the special assistant to CM, the chief secretary, the IG and the home secretary were also present on the occasion.

Kissan Package

The chief minister said the Rs-100 billion Kissan Package constituted a national first.

Sharif made the remarks while chairing a meeting convened to review steps taken to ensure the effective implementation of the Kissan Package. He said small landholders would benefit from the package. Sharif said Rs50 billion would be spent in this regard next year. He said subsidies on fertilisers, tube wells, power and equipment would prove beneficial for farmers.

Sharif said the effective implementation of the package would be ensured to maximise benefit derived from it by farmers. He said revamping per acre productivity and enriching small landholders was the underlying premise of the package. The chief minister said programmes should be organised to raise awareness regarding the package in rural areas.

He directed the chief minister to devise a mechanism to ensure the effective implementation of the package. Sharif said the inimical impact of the global recession on agriculture would be mitigated through the package. The chief minister said a strategy was being formulated to provide farmers with quality seed. Sharif said a programme had been introduced to provide interest-free loans to small landholders.

Sharif said agriculture was the bedrock of the national economy. He said prosperity could be achieved by revamping the agriculture, dairy and livestock sectors. Sharif said the introduction of modern technology could revamp the sectors. He said developing the sectors was mandatory to eradicate unemployment. Sharif said farmers ought to have access to research. He said billions of rupees had been allocated for the livestock sector.

The law, finance and agriculture ministers were also present on the occasion.

Quran and Seerat Institute

The chief minister said the Punjab Institute of Quran and Seerat Studies would be inaugurated soon. Sharif made the remarks while chairing a meeting convened to look into the institute’s affairs. He said the establishment would feature all facilities needed to adequately research on the life of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Holy Quran. He said great attention would be devoted to research and publishing. The chief minister said the institute’s operations would be digitised.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2016.