Aftermath 18th Amendment: Sindh govt working on replacing 61 federal laws

CM chairs meeting with secretaries, discusses Zakat collection

KARACHI: Various departments of Sindh government are working day and night to replace 61 federal laws with provincial ones by bringing certain functions of federal ministries devolved under the 18th Amendment under the domain of the provincial government.

This was stated in a meeting held with Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Qaim Ali Shah at CM House on Monday. CM's Zakat adviser Dost Muhammad said that his department has already carried out the necessary legislation. "Now the Board of Trustees is to be formed to implement the Zakat bill," he said, adding that he had already held a meeting with the Sindh Revenue Board which has been assigned the task of Zakat collection.

Zakat collection during the month of Ramazan will be around Rs3 billion, he said. "We will increase it by more than Rs3 billion and utilise the amount for needy people," he said.

The chief secretary told the CM that Employees Old-age Benefits Institution (EOBI) legislation has been done and is being implemented. "Presently, EOBI structure is being worked upon and the labour department is making proposals," he said.

Labour secretary Rasheed Solangi pointed out that the Workers Welfare Fund legislation has been completed. The department will issue the notification for the board within a week and it is expected that the fund will be able to gather up to Rs3 billion, he said.

Other laws the government is working on include bills on travel agencies, hotels and restaurants, tourists guides, wildlife protection, compulsory education, food authority, pure food, mother languages as compulsory additional subject at primary level, preservation and protection against domestic violence, environment protection, West Pakistan historical mosques and shrine fund cess and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2015.