Fair prescription: CM to head two task forces against spurious drugs
Shahbaz approves setting up of Drug Regulatory Authority.
PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced on Tuesday that two task forces would be set up for southern and northern Punjab to launch a crackdown on those dealing in spurious drugs.
He chaired a meeting that decided to intensify action against those involved in the production and sale of spurious and substandard drugs. The chief minister will be chairman of both task forces.
The chief minister favoured introducing institutional reforms to curb the trade of such drugs on a permanent basis.
The meeting also approved setting up of a Drug Regulatory Authority to be run by an autonomous board of governors.
“Producing and selling spurious medicines is an evil trade. Those doing the business are the enemies of humanity and deserve zero tolerance,” he said. He ordered that amendments be introduced to the relative law to discourage the sale of counterfeit drugs.
Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique, Parliamentary Secretary Khwaja Imran Nazir, the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary, health and law secretaries, the commissioner and the DCO attended the meeting.
Wheat procurement
Sharif said the government would spend Rs130 billion on procuring four million tonnes of wheat this year. He told a meeting a wheat procurement campaign would be launched in the last week of April.
He said wheat would be procured at the rate of Rs1,300 a maund. He said small farmers would be given priority during the purchase.
He said the government was expecting a bumper crop this year. “Farmers’ interests will be safeguarded. Their exploitation will not be tolerated in this regard,” he said.
Sharif said that the best possible arrangements had been made for the procurement drive. He said a fair distribution of gunny bags would be ensured at 376 procurement centres to be established across the province. He said the process to pay farmers had been made transparent.
The chief minister said a computerised system would be used for the registration of farmers and addressing their complaints. He said a helpline 0800-60606 had been set up to register complaints. This is in addition to complaint cells set up at provincial, divisional, district and tehsil levels.
He said that the presence of farmers’ representatives at procurement centres would be ensured.
He said farmers would be provided eight bags for each acre and paid delivery charges of Rs7.5 a bag.
He said ministers and secretaries of various departments would remain in the field to monitor the procurement process.
Earlier, the food secretary briefed the meeting. He said that in case of a complaint, a farmer could contact the food minister at 0300-8405488, the food secretary at 0304-0920043 and 042-99210514-5, the additional secretary at 0300-9462862 and 042-99210295, the Food Department director at 0331-5301071 and 042-99212548 and the Food Department additional director at 0321-8788128.
Food Minister Bilal Yasin, MNA Rajab Ali Baloch, MPA Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, the chief secretary and the Planning and Development Board chairman attended the meeting through video link.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2015.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced on Tuesday that two task forces would be set up for southern and northern Punjab to launch a crackdown on those dealing in spurious drugs.
He chaired a meeting that decided to intensify action against those involved in the production and sale of spurious and substandard drugs. The chief minister will be chairman of both task forces.
The chief minister favoured introducing institutional reforms to curb the trade of such drugs on a permanent basis.
The meeting also approved setting up of a Drug Regulatory Authority to be run by an autonomous board of governors.
“Producing and selling spurious medicines is an evil trade. Those doing the business are the enemies of humanity and deserve zero tolerance,” he said. He ordered that amendments be introduced to the relative law to discourage the sale of counterfeit drugs.
Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique, Parliamentary Secretary Khwaja Imran Nazir, the chief secretary, the additional chief secretary, health and law secretaries, the commissioner and the DCO attended the meeting.
Wheat procurement
Sharif said the government would spend Rs130 billion on procuring four million tonnes of wheat this year. He told a meeting a wheat procurement campaign would be launched in the last week of April.
He said wheat would be procured at the rate of Rs1,300 a maund. He said small farmers would be given priority during the purchase.
He said the government was expecting a bumper crop this year. “Farmers’ interests will be safeguarded. Their exploitation will not be tolerated in this regard,” he said.
Sharif said that the best possible arrangements had been made for the procurement drive. He said a fair distribution of gunny bags would be ensured at 376 procurement centres to be established across the province. He said the process to pay farmers had been made transparent.
The chief minister said a computerised system would be used for the registration of farmers and addressing their complaints. He said a helpline 0800-60606 had been set up to register complaints. This is in addition to complaint cells set up at provincial, divisional, district and tehsil levels.
He said that the presence of farmers’ representatives at procurement centres would be ensured.
He said farmers would be provided eight bags for each acre and paid delivery charges of Rs7.5 a bag.
He said ministers and secretaries of various departments would remain in the field to monitor the procurement process.
Earlier, the food secretary briefed the meeting. He said that in case of a complaint, a farmer could contact the food minister at 0300-8405488, the food secretary at 0304-0920043 and 042-99210514-5, the additional secretary at 0300-9462862 and 042-99210295, the Food Department director at 0331-5301071 and 042-99212548 and the Food Department additional director at 0321-8788128.
Food Minister Bilal Yasin, MNA Rajab Ali Baloch, MPA Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, the chief secretary and the Planning and Development Board chairman attended the meeting through video link.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2015.