Cabinet vows austerity at all levels

LAHORE:

Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi sought a comprehensive policy on Saturday adopt austerity measures at all levels in Punjab in accordance with a policy announced by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

He was presiding of a meeting the caretaker provincial cabinet that lauded and decided to implement the austerity policy on behalf of the prime minister at the provincial level.

As per an official statement, an austerity committee will put forth practicable recommendations with regard to saving government resources. The caretaker CM and ministers will set an example in this regard.

The caretaker chief minister underscored that everyone would have to play an active role to adopt austerity at the government level in view of the dire economic conditions.

It was proposed during the meeting to fix the minimum wheat support price in the province at Rs3,900 per maund.

Approval was granted to constitute a Foreign Funds Project Committee to ensure their expeditious completion.

The caretaker cabinet approved a proposal to give government land on lease for agriculture on the basis of single source.

Approval was granted for a supplementary grant worth Rs400 million for the police martyrs package.

It was decided during the cabinet meeting that the officers of Punjab government would donate their salary of one to three days to help the earthquake-affected people of Turkiye and Syria. Officers of grade 22 will donate three-day salary, grade 21 and 20 two-days grade 19 and 18 one-day salary in the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

Approval was also accorded to make an agreement with the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital Trust for regional blood centres in Multan, Bahawalpur and Faisalabad.

It was decided that a new emergency block would be built with the cooperation of the Friends Of Allied Hospital Faisalabad.

Approval was granted to rename the Punjab tourism department as the Tourism, Archaeology and Museum Department.

Provincial caretaker ministers, chief ssecretary, inspector general of police, secretaries and other officials concerned attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi paid a late night visit to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) and Mian Munshi Hospital.

He expressed displeasure over the state of affairs of Mian Munshi Hospital and ordered immediate transfer of the deputy medical superintendent who was absent from duty.

The caretaker CM enquired from the patients about the medical facilities and also reviewed the cleanliness arrangements in the hospital.

Mohsin Naqvi met the patients undergoing primary angiography at the PIC and enquired from the doctors about the procedure. He directed then staff to ensure primary angiography procedure after heart attack in the hospital at every cost.

He asserted the need to maintain a regular system of primary angiography in the hospitals so that patients would be served without any hurdle. The procedure refers to the angiography of a patient in case of a heart attack at the earliest so that his life can be saved.

The caretaker CM called for improving cleanliness in the Mian Munshi Hospital.

Expressing displeasure of the conditions in the hospital, he urged the doctors and allied health staff to honestly perform their duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2023.