Wrong flour price data riles CM

Restructuring, digital monitoring of food dept ordered

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed displeasure on Wednesday on the presentation of wrong flour price data by the food department.

Chairing a meeting, she compared the data presented by the department on market price of flour with figures collected from other sources.

She declared that the data was different from the actual market prices of flour.

The chief minister ordered the determination of the flour price in accordance with the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority mechanism.

She directed the relevant authorities to present a daily report on the market price of flour.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz decided in principle to allow the transportation of flour with permission from the relevant authorities.

She issues directives to restructure the food department.

“Legal action must be ensured against the corrupt elements,” she said and called for a digital monitoring mechanism for the officials of the food department.

The chief minister lamented, “Mafias are doing their work and the departments are sleeping.” She enquired, “How will the governance improve if the departments do not do their work?”

She noted, “Farmers have sold their wheat. Now I will not allow mafias to exploit the people.”

Earlier, the chief minister was informed in a briefing that Punjab had official wheat reserves of 2.2 million tonnes, while a total of six million tonnes of the commodity was available in the province.

“There is more than sufficient wheat in the province,” she was informed.

“Geo-tagging of the wheat reserves is being done to check hoarding,” the officials added.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Information and Culture Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari, Provincial Ministers Bilal Yasin and Syed Ashiq Hussain attended the meeting. The chief secretary, secretaries and other officers concerned were also present.

Health infrastructure

Chairing a meeting on health sector reforms, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said improvement in the health services is not possible until the infrastructure is rebuilt. She directed the relevant authorities to make laparoscopy and endoscopy services functional in hospitals as soon as possible.

The chief minister agreed to make biometric attendance mandatory in the health centres, tehsil and district hospitals.

She said, “Thalassemia centres will be established in the district headquarters hospitals and linked with regional blood centres.”

She directed the authorities concerned to start Woman’s Clinics on Wheels. “In each division, mammography machine and Breast Clinic on Wheels will provide services in each district turn by turn,” she added.

The chief minister took strict notice of complaints about demand for money by the security guards in hospitals and sought a plan to bring a public-friendly security system in hospitals.

The chief minister directed the authorities concerned to build a state of the art hospital in Rajanpur. “State-of-the-art Tesla MRI machines will be provided through outsourcing in Sheikhupura and Bahawalnagar.”

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz agreed to a proposal to provide ventilators and trained staff in tehsil headquarters hospitals. She also directed the authorities to provide mechanical sweepers to hospitals.

She called for ensuring free supply of medicines in the health centres, besides improving the medicine supply chain.