Governor returns four bills to Punjab Assembly

Cites huge expenditures and prior amendments behind the move

LAHORE:

Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman returned four bills unsigned to the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Tuesday.

The unsigned bills include the Punjab Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) (Amendment) (Repeal) Bill 2022, as well as others returned with directions for improvement in public interest, including the Punjab Ehsaas Programme Bill 2022, Punjab Local Governments Bill 2022, and Urdu Language Bill 2022.

The governor observed that should the Punjab Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) (Amendment) (Repeal) Bill 2022 be assented, it would entail huge expenditures, which would be a burden on the public exchequer.

Meanwhile, according to the Governor's House PR department, the rationale behind returning the Punjab Ehsaas Programme Bill was that the secretary to the Punjab government, finance department or his nominated member should be a member of Ehsaas council.

This is a newly-introduced bill intended to eradicate poverty and provide social protection, the PR team added. The funds for the Ehsaas programme will be required from the finance department, so a member of the finance department in the Ehsaas council would facilitate the working of the programme. On the LG Bill 2021, the governor called for reconsidering the subject bill.

The PA amended Section 10 and 187, therefore was changed since it was originally passed by the Assembly on Sept 14. "Since the bill passed by the PA in its sitting on October 19th 2022 includes amendments, it shall be considered to have been passed afresh and conveyed to the governor on October 20th," the PR department explained