Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday presided over a meeting of steering committee set up for elimination of child labour at brick kilns.
The chief minister gave approval to a special package for the education of children working at brick kilns. Under the package besides 100 percent free education, a special stipend of Rs 1,000 per month will be given to every child going to school whereas an annual stipend of Rs 2,000 will be given to the parents on admission of children in schools. Free treatment facilities will also be provided to the children and their parents. The government will also bear transport expenses of the children going to far-flung schools.
Sharif also gave approval to the draft ordinance for eliminating child labour from brick kilns. Under the ordinance, kiln owners involved in child labour will be awarded up to six months imprisonment. On violation, there will be summary trail of kiln owners and will be fined up to Rs 500,000. The kiln will also be sealed on child labour.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister vowed that child labour will be eliminated from kilns at every cost and institutions concerned will have to work with commitment for this purpose. He said committees will be constituted at district level for checking child labour at brick kilns. He said that DCO of every district will be head of the committee and DCO and DPO will check kilns regularly in their respective districts and submit reports.
Assistant commissioner will also check the kilns at tehsil level. Sharif said that announcement of package for eliminating child labour from brick kilns is a very important step. He said that under this package, books, stationary, uniform, shoes and school bags will be provided to the children free of cost. The chief minister directed that 100 percent enrollment of the children working at brick kilns should be ensured and the proposal of installing CCTV cameras for checking of brick kilns should also be considered. Provincial Ministers Rana Sanaullah, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Rana Mashhood Ahmed, Spokesman Punjab government Zaeem Qadri, chief secretary, additional chief secretary, secretaries concerned and senior officials attended the meeting.
Scholarship Programme: The Punjab government has decided to launch “Chief Minister’s Talent Scholarship Programme” under which eligible boy and girl students of government universities will be given scholarships for higher education at the best universities of the world. Under this programme, 100 students will get scholarships for studying at 100 top universities at international level.
It was decided in a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday. Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that youths are the future of Pakistan and Chief Minister’s Talent Scholarship Programme is useful investment in the future of the country. He said scholarship will be given for higher education to such students who would be eligible for admission in these universities. The chief minister said education is the only way for progress and prosperity of the nation. He said empowerment of youth and imparting them modern knowledge is the need of the hour. He said the Punjab government has taken solid measures for the promotion of quality education in the province. He said on the one hand top position holders are sent on study tours of the best universities of the world while on the other opportunities of higher education are being provided to boy and girls students at local and foreign universities through Punjab Educational Endowment Fund.