LAHORE: The Punjab cabinet has approved amendments to the Provincial Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, increasing fines for vehicles that emit excessive smoke.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz chaired the 18th meeting of the provincial cabinet on Tuesday to discuss and decide on key agenda items, including historical measures for environmental improvement.
The cabinet approved amendments to the Provincial Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, which will increase fines for vehicles operating without a Vehicle Fitness Certificate. Such vehicles will be fined and impounded after receiving a one-time notice.
In a historic initiative to combat environmental pollution, the cabinet approved the introduction of a single-use plastic ban across Punjab. District Plastic Management Committees will be established to address enforcement issues, with DCs and DPOs serving as chairpersons and traders and other relevant authorities as members.
The committees will have the power to impose fines to ensure compliance with the plastic elimination campaign. They can also seal factories producing non-standard or environmentally harmful plastic bags, while the registration and renewal fees for quality and eco-friendly plastic bag manufacturing factories will be reduced. The cabinet also approved the recruitment of 310 environment inspectors, purchase of 250 e-bikes, and a standardised uniform for them.
Additionally, the cabinet approved the establishment of the Punjab Examination, Curriculum, Training, and Assessment Authority (PECTAA) and endorsed the CM’s laptop scheme. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the authorities concerned to distribute laptops to students as soon as possible. The cabinet also approved the Khelta Punjab Games 2024 (Under 16 Talent Hunt Programme), with over 115,000 players registered. Six thousand youths will be offered internships in the sports department at Rs25,000 per month. Additionally, 50 young athletes will receive free education and sports facilities from private universities.
The cabinet further approved the Chief Minister Punjab Livestock Card for Small Farmers, with a target of producing 200,000 animals per year, and extended the scheme to larger farmers. The establishment of three new authorities—the Punjab Development Authority, Punjab Water & Sanitation Authority, and Punjab Horticulture Authority—was also approved.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz instructed the issuance of festival cards for the Hindu and Sikh communities in Punjab, with Rs10,000 allocated to 2,200 families for Guru Nanak’s birthday and Diwali. The cabinet also approved the establishment of technical universities in Punjab and recruitment for Grade 1-15 vacancies in Wildlife Park, Joharabad.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also visited an under-construction house belonging to loan recipient Subiya Munir in Kot Lakhpat, Andron Pindi Rajput. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz personally inspected the progress on the three-marla plot, whose walls have already been constructed.
Maryam Nawaz presented Subiya Munir with the second cheque for the loan installment and directed the authorities to gift her essential household furniture. The chief minister encouraged Subiya to educate her daughters, assuring her that the Punjab government would cover their education expenses. Subiya Munir, a single parent, works as a decorator in an event management team.
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