South Punjab Secretariat gets 10 secretaries

Punjab govt creates 70 new posts for regional set-up

LAHORE:

In a major development towards empowering the people of southern Punjab, the provincial government on Monday posted 10 secretaries and notified the creation of 70 new posts with a view to making the South Punjab Secretariat functional.

The government believes that the establishment of the South Punjab Secretariat will help minimise the sense of deprivation among residents of southern Punjab. It will also help the people resolve their issues locally, as they will no longer have to travel to Lahore for the redressal of their problems.

The government has created one post of Grade-21 officer, 21 posts each in grade-20 and grade-19 and 34 posts in grade-18. A notification issued on Monday indicated that all these officers would perform duties on the newly-created posts in their own pays and scales.

The provincial government has given the additional charge of the home department secretary, South Punjab Secretariat, to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Momin Agha, a BS-21 officer. He will discharge responsibilities of the new position in addition to his current duties until the regular posting is made.

According to the notification, Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) Commissioner Saqib Ali Ateel, a BS-20 officer, had been transferred and posted as the agriculture department secretary at the South Punjab Secretariat.

Among the BS-19 officers, Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Special Secretary Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti had been transferred and posted as the health department secretary, while Additional Finance Secretary (Budget) Rana Obaid Ullah Anwar had been posted as the finance secretary.

Similarly, Punjab Resource Management Programme (PRMP) Director Shoaib Iqbal Syed had been posted as the planning and development department secretary, and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Raja Khurram Shahzad Umar as the local government and community development department secretary.

Services and General Administration Department Officer Liaqat Ali Chatha had been posted as housing, urban development and public health engineering department secretary. Bahawalpur Development Authority Finance Director Nosheen Malik had been transferred and posted as Services and General Administration Department Secretary.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department Secretary Nazir Ahmad Gajana had been entrusted with additional charge of the post of Law Secretary at the South Punjab Secretariat. He would perform these additional responsibilities in addition to his own duties till posting of a regular incumbent.

The Punjab cabinet in its 34th session approved amendments to Rules of Business, 2011, for making the South Punjab Secretariat operational. The cabinet had also empowered secretaries for 16 provincial departments to perform duties at the new secretariat, where 10 officers had been posted.

Following a recent meeting of the Cabinet Standing Committee for Finance and Development, Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht had highlighted that the committee had approved a special allowance for the employees of the South Punjab Secretariat.

Jawan Bakht highlighted that 75% of the basic pay would be given to South Punjab Secretariat employees as executive allowance and 100% for those who were not getting executive allowance previously.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was striving to fulfil its commitment made with the residents of South Punjab and remove their sense of deprivation.

In a statement, he said that establishment of South Punjab Secretariat, functioning of chief secretary South Punjab and inspector general police, besides appointments of 10 secretaries for the area had been some of the concrete steps in this regard.

The veteran PTI leader, while congratulating the residents of South Punjab, further said that functioning of the South Punjab Secretariat and amendments to the Rules of Business were vital practical steps for the establishment of a province.

Qureshi said all the administrative affairs would hopefully be run and the related important decisions made in the South Punjab Secretariat.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2020.