Sindh government has sealed border with Balochistan to curb cross-border smuggling of wheat and ensure smooth supply of essential food items to the people of Sindh. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government has also decided to amend the laws of local government as the system has failed to produce the desired results and has been working more like "local fiefdom".
Further, the proposed Sindh Bank would focus more on benefiting the farmer community, the most neglected stratum of the society, and would provide agriculture credit to them. The Sindh government, seeking restoration of Water Accord 1991, has demanded of the federal government to ensure distribution of water among the provinces according to the agreement. It has also said that the Indus River System Authority was constituted under 1991 Accord and should therefore function according to it.
This was stated by Sindh Information Minister Shazia Atta Murri at a press conference after the first meeting of Sindh cabinet, with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani here on Saturday. She said the decision to seal the border was taken after the law enforcement agencies confiscated at least 56 wheat trucks being smuggled to Balochistan from Sanghar and Khairpur on a single working day.
Murri said that Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah requested the Prime Minister to seek approval of the President to materialise the amendment plan which also included establishment of a monitoring body to make the local government system more effective. To provide relief to the farmers, the government would continue with its Rs 40 billion subsidy on wheat procurement and buy wheat at Rs 625per maund.
She said that the Prime Minster directed chief ministers and cabinet ministers of the country to join hands and come up with a uniform strategy to avoid disparity in their respective provinces.
Stressing the need for achieving a sustainable financial stability the premier asked the chief ministers to submit their proposals on ministerial portfolios within next few weeks, Murri said. The meeting, she said, discussed various issues like provincial autonomy, financial stability, water and power shortage, food, health, education and other issues of public concern.
Sharing various announcements made by the prime minister with the media the information minister said the premier had approved establishment of "lawyers residential colony" in Larkana and allocated Rs 100 million as initial funding for the project. Consultations would be made with the Larkana Bar Council and Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro to bring the plan into effect, she said.
She said the government would also establish Basic Health Units (BHUs) including hospitals in Larkana with an improved transport system and new doctoral staff. She said the Sindh CM also brought problems of media to prime minister's notice and requested him to give a relief package to the journalists community. A housing scheme for Pakistan Television staffers also came under discussion, she added.
She said reconstruction of road from Sehwan to Larkana was also proposed during the meeting. A renovation package for Moin-Jo-Daro and Gorak Hill was also announced to make the two historical places tourists-friendly.
Announcing a Rs 350 increment in the salary of a constable the information minister said compensation for those who fall prey to violent incidents in Sindh would be at least Rs 0.5 million.
She said according to manifesto of the party multi-storey housing schemes would be launched for the poor. Lamenting non-admission of at least one million children in Sindh schools the minister said the government would get them registered and also improve quality of education.
She said according to the vision of Benazir Bhutto the government had launched a skill development program for youth under which they would also receive salaries ranging from Rs 4000 to Rs 7000 along with the necessary training on skill development.
On the health side, Murri said, around 40 percent Rural Health Centers (RHCs) and BHUs were lying closed, which would be opened with the help of non-governmental organisations. She said the Sindh government would also seek help from the federal government on revival of energy-oriented projects like Ketty Bundar which was awaiting implementation for the last several years.
To a query on law and order the minister said there were still some "No-Go" areas in Sindh for police, but the Home Department would soon establish writ of law in such places. She said the CM had also proposed to the prime minister that if the federal government could share its burden of payments to Pakistan Rangers following a constitutional procedure.
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