-Punjab Cabinet Secretariat’s grade 1 to 16 employees to get executive allowance equal to 1.5 times the basic salary
-Fixed Daily Allowance of Punjab Police, traffic wardens, PHP to be restored after five years at same percentage as before
-New grading system to be introduced in Matric, FSc and FA exams
LAHORE: The provincial cabinet meeting held under Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday approved the allotment of the government land for Cholistan’s landless farmers which will be given in a transparent manner under the watchful eye of a scrutiny committee.
The cabinet meeting was attended by the provincial ministers, advisers, special advisers, chief secretary and senior officials.
It is also pertinent to mention here that land in the Cholistan area of Sadiqabad tehsil has been approved for oil exploration by Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL).
During the meeting, it was decided that since fifty-five villages of 27 districts have been declared calamity hit, they are to be exempted from Malia and Aabiyana (water tax) while farmers whose crops have been damaged in rainstorms and hailstorms would receive a financial aid package.
In this regard, the chief minister has also directed the relevant authorities to estimate the damage to crops caused by floods in some parts of Jhelum.
The cabinet meeting also approved an amendment in the Government Land Disposal Policy while the leasing of government land will be through an open auction. The decision to give ownership rights of leased land to landless farmers was approved, however, ownership rights would be given to farmers who will cultivate 80 per cent of the land they have.
The provincial cabinet also approved the first tourism policy. In this regard, the chief minister said that a special package will be prepared for the interest of tourists with the aim of enhancing Pakistan’s soft image. “Special benefits will be given to private investors who are interested in investing in tourism as an incentive,” he added.
Further, approval was given to the restoration of the Fixed Daily Allowance of the Punjab Police which had been frozen since 2013. This allowance will be at the same ratio as it was in 2013. The Punjab Highway Police (PHP) and traffic wardens will also get the allowance with the same percentage.
Similarly, Punjab Cabinet Secretariat civil officers of grade 1 to 16 employees will get executive allowance equal to 1.5 times the basic salary on the instructions of the chief minister himself.
The meeting also decided to introduce a new grading system in Matric, FSc and FA exams in phases. The implementation of the first phase of the grading system has been approved. A committee has been constituted to review the implementation of the second and third phases of the grading system. The chief minister said that a grading system is a vital measure towards a uniform education system which will end the tradition of cramming without learning. “We will introduce a system that will enable students to compete at the international level,” Buzdar said.
The meeting also approved the appointment of members for the Board of Directors (BoD) of the Parks and Horticulture Authority, Sialkot.
Toward the end, the audit report prepared by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) for the Punjab government accounts for the financial years of 2016-17 and 2018-19 was also approved. The audit report will be presented in the Punjab Assembly. The recommendations of the committee formed by the chief minister were also approved.
Moreover, the minutes of the 13th and 14th meetings of the cabinet were affirmed. The decisions of the 10th and 11th meetings of the Cabinet Standing Committee for Finance and Development were also endorsed.