Punjab cabinet approves CM’s relief package

LAHORE: Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz said that though the economy was in disarray but the PMLN government announced a relief package for the citizens.

He said this while addressing the first meeting of the provincial cabinet here Wednesday. The first meeting took some important decisions to provide relief to the people of the province. The meeting approved the Chief Minister's Public Facilitation Package and ratified the decision to provide subsidy on flour and sugar. The cabinet meeting approved the distribution of wheat to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, promoting national unity and expressing brotherhood with other provinces. The meeting ratified the decision of wheat release policy. Cabinet approved purchase of one million metric tonnes of wheat from Pasco and formation of new board of Punjab Mass Transit Authority. Khawaja Ahmad Hassan was the new Vice-Chairman of the new board of Punjab Mass Transit Authority. Ex-facto approval of Ramazan package 2022 was given in the meeting. Approval was also given to reconstitute the Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development. Approval was given to reconstitute the Cabinet Standing Committee on Legal Affairs.

The chief minister congratulated the new provincial ministers. The ministers thanked Hamza Shehbaz for expressing confidence and reiterated their commitment to work together to further the public service mission. Addressing the cabinet meeting, the chief minister said that Punjab would be taken forward. The formation of the cabinet was deliberately delayed due to deliberate obstruction. He said that if Allah Almighty wanted to take the work of serving the nation from us then no one can stop it. Earlier Provincial Minister Ataullah Tarar has said that on the chief minister’s directions, price control committees should submit their report at district level regarding the prices of ghee and sugar. The Cabinet will approve the new price of ghee in the next few days, he said adding the government would also provide subsidy to sugar mills to reduce price and strict action would be taken if sugar mills do not cooperate to reduce prices. He expressed these views while addressing a press conference here Wednesday along with Syed Hassan Murtaza, Owais Leghari, Ali Haider Gilani and others after the first meeting of the provincial cabinet here Wednesday. Ataullah Tarar said that the cabinet approved the decision to provide 10kg flour at Rs490 and sugar at Rs70 per kg to continue. Punjab has achieved the target of 5 million tonnes of wheat, he said adding past government discussed bumper crop but did not facilitate people by providing cheap flour.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has written two letters to the Punjab government for wheat supply, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has not met its wheat procurement target, he said. The chief minister has directed to provide wheat to the KP people at reasonable rates and decided to sign MoU between Punjab and KP government in the national interest, Tarar claimed. The cabinet has given preliminary approval for subsidy on ghee and sugar, he said and maintained that the government was giving a monthly subsidy of Rs16 billion for flour. Controlling inflation and law and order was the main agenda of the first cabinet meeting, he said, adding there was no discussion in the meeting regarding accountability but corruption cases, including Farah Gogi, would be handled by the departments on their own and the perpetrators of corruption would be brought to justice.

The cabinet will be expanded very soon, the right of privilege committee was now ours, all committees in Punjab Assembly will be reconstituted, he said and maintained that threats to officers were reprehensible and we will stand behind our officers. Over a question about petitions being filed in the court for cases against the officers and the government personalities, he said officers and police personnel would be provided complete legal assistance. Imran Khan will not return in six days or even in 600 days, he said and claimed that if Imran Khan goes to Islamabad, he will be received by Rana Sanaullah and Attaullah Tarar in Punjab.