Cane price set at Rs250/ 40kgs
Photo: APP
The provincial cabinet on Thursday decided to fix sugarcane support price at Rs250 per 40kgs for season 2021-22.
The meeting, chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also gave nod to appoint 1,500 college teachers, approved 'waste to energy policy' to generate electricity from solid waste in Karachi and formed a committee to end ambiguity in the spelling of Mohen Jo Daro, world heritage site in Larkana, which is being written with different spellings.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisors to CM, special assistants, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah and other officers.
Advisor to CM on Agriculture Manzoor Wassan told the meeting that the government regulates the supply of sugarcane and given the high inflation of agriculture input including fertilisers, pesticides and labour charge, it intends to revise the sugarcane support price.
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After the discussion on the issue the cabinet members, considering different factors, including consultation with the growers and the millers, approved to start crushing season by November 15 and decided to fix the support price at Rs250 per 40kgs and premium at Rs0.50 per 40kgs.
The agriculture advisor also informed the cabinet about wheat crop. He added that for the season 2018-19 and 2019-20, the support price of the wheat was fixed at Rs1,300 and Rs1,400 per 40kgs respectively. However, the wheat price in 2021-22 was fixed at Rs1,800 per 40kgs by the federal government, but the Sindh government in order to encourage more cultivation fixed the price at Rs2,000 per 40kgs.
He suggested the support price at the same rate of Rs2,000 per 40kgs. The chief minister directed the agriculture department to consult with other provinces and then bring the proposal to the cabinet.
Recruitment of teachers
Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah briefed the meeting about vacancies of teachers in colleges. He informed that non-availability of subject teachers in many colleges, shortage of teachers in rural areas due to different reasons, like non-filling of 20 per cent of seats through SPSC, reserved for direct induction in grades BPS-18, 19, 20, as per the recruitment rules; usual lengthy process of recruitment through SPSC; general tendency of transfer from rural to urban areas, near to home, administrative posts, deputations, retirements, resignations, deaths are also the main reasons.
According to the statistics, there are 11,311 sanctioned posts of lecturers from grade BS-17 to BS-20 against which 7,699 are filled while 2,676 are vacant. The cabinet approved appointment of 1,500 college, district-specific, non-transferable subject specialists at a monthly stipend of Rs60,000 for seven months under CTI programme.
Waste to energy
Minister of Energy Imtiaz Shaikh presenting a draft `Waste to energy policy' said that Karachi, with a population of more than 20 million produces 0.59 kgs/capita/day waste, which means Karachi only produces 10,000-11,000 tonnes of waste per day. Hyderabad, being the second largest city of the province, produces 1,000-1,100 tonnes, Sukkur 400 tonnes and Larkana 325 tonnes.
Imtiaz Shaikh said that the waste has potential of generating energy such as waste to electricity, waste to RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel), waste to gasification, waste to composting (Manure) and incineration for industrial heat steam generation.
The energy board has authority to grant permission for power generation from solid waste, minister said and added, in the first phase the policy can be implemented in Karachi then in other cities of the province.
Meanwhile, the energy minister told the cabinet that KE has requested for an allotment of 40 acre land in Deh Lal Bakhar, district Keamari, for establishment of a grid station.
The cabinet constituted a committee comprising Imtiaz Shaikh, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani to examine the request and submit the report.
Mohen Jo Daro
Minister Culture Syed Sardar Shah discussed about the spelling of Mohen Jo Daro. He showed some documents and said it should not be spelled as Moen Jo Daro.
The chief minister constituted a committee comprising Dr Azra Fazal Pehuho, Syed Sardar Shah, Ismail Rahu and Murtaza Wahab to consult with the expert and then bring the matter to the cabinet.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2021.