Cabinet approves Rs5b loan for Ravi Urban Authority to acquire land

LAHORE:The 39th cabinet meeting was held under the chair of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar at the CM’s office here on Thursday.

The meeting gave approval to further extend the lease of state land in Cholistan and Rahim Yar Khan on previous rates to the President of UAE. This initiative of the Punjab cabinet will further strengthen the ties between both the countries.

The meeting gave principle approval of five billion rupees loan to the Ravi Urban Development Authority for acquiring the land. Moreover, the meeting also approved for providing state land for the master plan of Ravi River Front Urban Development Project. Authority will present its business plan and financial model for this purpose.

Vice Chairman, LDA, Sheikh Muhammad Imran and Chairman of the Authority Rashid Aziz gave the briefing to the cabinet about Ravi River Front Urban Development Project. The cabinet simplifies the long process of issuance of NOCs for installing petrol pumping in the province by reducing the issuance period from 90 days to 30 days.

Punjab cabinet under 3pc special quota for visually impaired persons has also approved to give special relaxation in upper age limit in the employment. The Punjab cabinet again rejected the proposal of getting charges in major hospitals.

Usman Buzdar while addressing the meeting said that the PTI government has come to power for providing relief to common man and user charges cannot be reconsidered right now. The cabinet also gave approval for equal syllabus throughout the province. The meeting, in the light of decision of honourable court and under Rule 17-A, gave approval of recruitment on permanent basis.

The meeting also gave approval the pay package and terms and conditions for the vice chancellors of different medical universities of Punjab. Transfer policy 2020 of the Special Education Department was approved in the meeting. Under this policy, teachers and other staff will be transferred near to their residents. Seed money of Rs10 crore from the Punjab government for the endowment fund of National Tourism Coordination Board/Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation was approved by the meeting. Land User Plans Rules 2020 were also got approval in the meeting for using Punjab Local Governments’ lands.

Payment issue of construction of 410-bed civil hospital in Bahawalpur was referred to the Cabinet Standing Committee for Finance & Development which will present the final recommendations after reviewing all the matter. The matter of provision of land for setting up Children Hospital in Gujranwala was also referred to the Board of Revenue. The cabinet meeting also gave approval to the appointment of two members namely Hassan Ahmed Riaz Advocate and Khalid Mehmood Chaudhry in Lahore Development Authority Tribunal.

Approval was granted to appoint in-service Judge Habib Ullah Amir for the post of judicial member for the Appellant Tribunal of Punjab Revenue Authority.

The meeting directed for reviewing the matters of Director General Punjab Agriculture, Food & Drug Authority. The departments concerned will again present their recommendations after reviewing the matters of the authority.

The meeting postponed the amendment in University of Agriculture Faisalabad Act 1973 Section 21 and agenda with regard to Higher Education Commission Punjab. The meeting also postponed the appointment of CEO of Punjab Industrial Estates Development & Management Company.

The CM and cabinet welcome the new ministers Syed Yawer Bukhari and Khiyal Ahmed Kastro in the meeting. Ministers, advisers, special advisers, chief secretary and secretaries of the departments concerned participated in the meeting.