Health and education over mega projects, asserts Chohan

Minister reveals a number of draft laws and amendments have been finalised

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said that provincial government will pay more attention to healthcare and education rather than mega projects like the orange line train and metro bus.

For this purpose, the scope of health insurance cards will be extended to all the districts. Doctors and paramedical staff are being recruited on an ad-hoc basis at hospitals to solve the health problems faced by people. He disclosed that ten years’ tax remission will be given in the industrial policy and imported machinery will be duty free for the first time.
He expressed these views while giving a media briefing after a meeting of the Punjab cabinet on Friday. He said such draft laws have been approved for the first time in history and will be hugely helpful in solving the basic problems of people. Giving details of such decisions, he said that health insurance programme will be started in 19 more districts, while the rate of provincial sales tax will be zero on the health insurance program.
He said a draft law has been approved to give concession on property tax in six computerized districts of the province. Meanwhile, he said the draft of the amendment law of Punjab Motor Vehicles Rule 1969, under the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965, has been approved for introducing automated registration cards. A draft law has also been approved for the establishment of the Punjab Skills Development Authority.
The provincial minister said the draft of the Punjab Labor Policy 2018 has also been approved by the cabinet, along with policy drafts for the Punjab Domestic Workers Act 2018 and Agricultural Policy 2018. Similarly, amendments in the Punjab Right to Information Act 2018 have been approved. The provincial cabinet has also given approval to draft the law for amendments in the Punjab Restaurant Invoice Monitoring System Rules 2015 and Punjab Sales Tax for Services Enforcement Rules 2014.
The meeting has given approval to the draft law to provide grant for financial assistance, along with leave, for Hajj and Umrah, he said. Provincial Minister said that draft of amendment in Indus River System Authority Act 1992 (Chashma Right Canal Lift Irrigation Canal Project) has been approved as well. In addition, the notification to establish the Punjab University of Technology Rasul in Mandi Bahauddin has been validated.
Addressing the meeting, the CM’s spokesman Dr Shehbaz Gill said the auction of luxury vehicles was decided in the cabinet meeting. As many as 22 such luxury vehicles will be auctioned, while six bulletproof cars will be given to police for security. Meanwhile, ten other luxury vehicles will be sent into the pool.

He said the meeting decided to reexamine the vehicles’ allotment policy and the CM would form a committee to devise a unified policy. Dr Shehbaz Gill maintained the Punjab government was working for public welfare and the targets of the 100-day agenda of the prime minister had been achieved.

“The whole government is working like a team and countless draft laws have been approved for the first time in Punjab for public welfare. We will collectively achieve the goal of durable development of the province,” he concluded.