Grant for smart city control system for Nankana approved

LAHORE:Punjab government Tuesday approved the supplementary grant for the smart city control system for district Nankana Sahib and lifted a ban on hiring technical cadre officials in special branch.

The approval was given in the 23rd meeting of Standing Committee of Cabinet for Finance chaired by Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakhat attended by Punjab Minister for Industry and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal, adviser to chief minister Dr Salman Shah, Chief Secretary Azam Suleman, Chairman Planning and Development Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh and other officials of the departments concerned.

The meeting also approved the sharing of the Fisheries Department in accordance with the KP in Mianwali Chasma link canal, bypass road construction between Dijkot Samundri to Canal Rekh Branch Dijkot, inclusion of Wazirabad Cardiology Institute in IRMNCH&N in ongoing annual development plan, construction of hostels for teachers and students in DG Khan Teaching Hospital, release of funds for Anmol Hospital Lahore, and resale of funds for maternity ambulances in the deprived areas.

The meeting orders the social welfare department to justify the appointment on vacant seats, reasons of increase of PKLI cost, performance of Safe City Authority along with its overall financial plans.

The meeting also reviewed to bring the Safe City Authority under Home Department and conversion the safe city into smart city.

Later, chairing another meeting to review the Annual Development Plan, it was informed that out of total Rs 350 billion ADP, planning and development department approved Rs 175 billion worth schemes while Rs 169 billion were released by the Finance Department against approved schemes. However, only 53 percent was released budget was utilised.

The chief secretary instructed the departments to complete the district development selection committee by January 15 and Provincial Development Working Party by February 29.

MoU: Punjab University (PU) has signed an agreement with an African company for the seed business and technical cooperation on the use of Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB)-patented transgenes for development, seed production and marketing of transgenic cotton hybrids/varieties.

According to the agreement, the African company will develop and commercialise cotton transgenic CKC technology of CEMB and transgenic cotton hybrids developed by the company using CKC events of CEMB. The company will be exclusively introducing it in twelve cotton-growing African countries - Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia.