Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has said that the provincial government has launched Ehsaas ration discount program with Rs 100 billion, and currently eight million deserving families are benefiting from it by getting flour, pulses, cooking oil on 40 per cent discounted rates. In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said the Punjab government would continue serving people and providing them with necessary relief. He said that various steps had been taken to facilitate people. People of three flood-hit districts had also been included in the program, he added.
The chief minister said the people deprived of social protection are responsibility of the state, adding that the Ehsaas ration discount program was a big step towards achieving the goal of poverty alleviation. Parvez Elahi noted that the national health card was a flagship program of the incumbent government as 2.2 million patients have so far been treated under this program free of cost.
Also, cancer patients were provided with the facility of treatment through cyber knife technology and this would provide much-needed relief to them, he added. Parvez Elahi said that more than 54,000 cancer patients had been treated through the national health card program, while more than 483,000 kidney patients had also received free treatment. The CM said that relief had been given to people by ensuring a 100pc decrease in the ratio of stamp duty. For public convenience, the rate of stamp duty has been fixed at 1pc across Punjab. By reducing the rate of stamp duty, urban property registration and transfers will increase. This would provide relief to citizens and the government would get more revenue, he said.
Punjab CS directs to intensify crackdown on polluters: Punjab Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal on Tuesday directed the deputy commissioners across the province to strictly implement the ban of burning crop residue and garbage under Section-144 and mobilize the field staff of revenue department in this regard.
He directed this while presiding over a meeting held here at the Civil Secretariat to review the measures being taken to control smog in the province.
The meeting decided that all the departments would obtain certificates for government vehicles under Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS) and the central control room set up in the environment department would be made fully functional from October 12. The focal persons of environment, agriculture, industries, and other relevant departments would perform duties in the control room. Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal directed the authorities to intensify the crackdown on vehicles and industries that were causing environmental pollution, saying that only brick
kilns with zigzag technology would be allowed to operate. He mentioned that the role of deputy commissioners was instrumental in controlling the smog problem and the performance in this regard would be reviewed regularly. The CS asked the environment department to provide timely information to the deputy commissioners for action against those who burn crop residue. He stressed that the relevant provincial departments and field officers should increase mutual coordination. He added everyone including government institutions and civil society should work hand in hand to overcome the smog. The CS issued instructions to the agriculture department to improve the data collection system.
Briefing the meeting, Secretary Industries Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi said that seven anti-smog squads had been formed for the inspection of industrial units. Of these seven squads, three are working in Lahore while one each is in Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, and Multan. The authorities sealed 428 old-technology brick kilns, registered 226 cases, and imposed fines of about Rs 10 million. Two special squads are working in Lahore for checking smoke-emitting vehicles. Police registered 11 FIRs for burning crop residue in different cities- seven in Pakpattan, two in Chiniot, and one each in Okara and Khanewal. The authorities arrested nine persons for burning garbage, registered 72 FIRs, and imposed fines of Rs 3.7 million.
Administrative secretaries of various departments, the deputy commissioner of Lahore, and officers concerned attended the meeting while deputy commissioners of Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Sahiwal, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, and Narowal participated through video link.
