Law and order: Shahbaz orders all-out efforts for child protection

CM says several schemes have been launched to empower the youth

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday every child was dear to him and that no effort would be spared for the protection of children across the province.

He was chairing a meeting of a steering committee set up for looking into the matter of missing children.

The chief minister said that due to effective measures taken by the departments concerned, incidences of missing children had declined. He said that facts in this regard should be brought to light.

Sharif directed that an effective system be evolved to check such incidents. He ordered the advocate general and the prosecution secretary to do their best for the early disposal of cases pertaining to missing children. He directed that foolproof security be ensured at schools. The plan evolved for the protection of schoolchildren should be strictly implemented, he said. He asked police to remain alert around schools. He said police officers should regularly visit schools and check security arrangements there. Police patrolling around schools should also be intensified, he said.

The chief minister said he would chair a meeting of the steering committee once a week to review its performance. The committee, he said, should meet twice a week. He said the committee was authorised to take measures necessary for the safety of children.

CM’s Special Assistant Rana Maqbool Ahmed, the steering committee head; Child Protection and Welfare Bureau Chairperson Saba Sadiq; the advocate general; the inspector general of police; the home secretary; and the public prosecution secretary attended the meeting.

Youth delegation calls on CM

A delegation representing the youth called on Sharif on Monday.

The chief minister said more than 60 per cent of the country’s population was made up of the youth. They are a precious asset, he said.

“The government has taken several measures to empower them.”

He said the programmes aimed at empowerment of the youth and creating more job opportunities for them had yielded good results. He said provision of resources for the empowerment of the youth was a useful investment in the country’s future.

He said the provincial government was launching an e-job training programme to help youngsters secure respectable jobs. He said another programme had been launched for imparting demand-driven skills to two million youths until 2018. He said thousands of youths had been given training under the Skill Development Programme.

The chief minister said a number of youngsters had been provided interest-free loans to start businesses. He said 50,000 vehicles had been distributed among them under the Apna Rozgar Scheme.

Separately, the chief minister said on Monday he was satisfied with security arrangements on Independence Day.

He praised the efforts of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order and the law enforcement agencies.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2016.