Victims of monsoon rains: Sindh cabinet approves relief disbursement thru mobile banking system

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet has approved disbursement of relief grant worth Rs4.021 billion among the victims of the monsoon rains of 2020 through mobile banking system.

“This will help the affectees to receive cash on showing their original Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) to the mobile bank without going into the process of opening a bank account.”

This was stated by Sindh chief minister while presiding over the cabinet

meeting at the Chief Minister’s House here on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by all the provincial ministers, advisors and officers concerned.

Over one hundred people had sustained injuries during the rains. They would get Rs25,000 each while the owners of fully damaged pukka houses would get Rs20,000 each, and Rs10,000 each would be given to the owners of fully damaged katcha houses.

POLICE STATION: The Board of Revenue requested the cabinet to approve establishment of an anti-encroachment police station in District Tharparkar where the value of land had gone up and the number of incidents of encroachments was increasing day by day.

The cabinet approved the request.

RECRUITMENT POLICY: The department of school education presented policy on recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff through a third party. Some of the cabinet members raised objections on different positions and categories of teachers.

They said that there should be only two categories of teachers, primary and secondary.

Since the government was offering the best of the salary packages, therefore only the best teachers should be appointed by offering only two positions.

The chief minister constituted a committee comprising two former education ministers (Nisar Khuhro and Syed Sardar Shah) and the incumbent education minister Saeed Ghani to review the recruitment policy and submit their report within 15 days.

BENAZIR MAZDOOR CARD: The Labour department presented amendments to two different sections of the SESSI Act to create provision for issuance of Benazir Mazdoor Card to ensure that the workers and self-employed people contributed to the SESSI and got themselves registered to be eligible for all the benefits.

The cabinet approved the proposal of universalization of social security in the province.

CREATION OF WORK UNIT: The Agriculture department requested the cabinet to be allowed to create its “works unit” to construct its buildings on its own. The chief minister constituted a three-member committee to review the proposal and submit its report.

SHAHEED QUOTA: The home department requested the cabinet to approve the incorporation of Shaheed, deceased and Ghazi quota in Police Rules called the Sindh Police Family Claim Rules 2020.

The cabinet was told that the post of an ASI was filled through the SPSC, while under the quota for a deceased person’s heir it had to be filled directly. Therefore a provision in the rules might be created so that the deceased, Shaheed and Ghazi quota request could be entertained.

The cabinet constituted a committee to review the rules and different judgments of the high and supreme courts and submit its recommendations in the next meeting.

EDUCATIONAL REMISSION: The cabinet was told that Zohaib Rehman, brother of a prisoner, Junaid Rehman, who had been confined in Central Jail, Karachi, had filed a constitutional petition before the high court for grant of education remission to the prisoner.

Under the rules “a convicted prisoner who has already passed any examination specified in the rules may appear in any one of the said examinations in an academic year, and shall on passing such examination be entitled to earn remission”.

The cabinet was told that the prisoner had passed the Quran Nazra in first position which made him eligible for three months’ remission.

He had passed Adeeb Sindh in first division from the BSE of Karachi which made him eligible for 10-months’ remission. He had passed HSC exams from the BIE of Karachi in 2nd division which made him eligible for six-months’ remission. Moreover, he had passed Adeeb Urdu in first position (10 months’ remission) and did his bachelor’s securing first position from the University of Karachi which again made him eligible for 10 months’ remission.

The cabinet was told that the prisoner had been convicted under the anti-terrorism act of 1997, and hence educational remissions could not be granted to him on account of the interpretation of the amendment in 2013 to the anti-terrorism act of 1997. It was further informed that the prisoner was convicted in 2005 prior to the introduction of the amendment in 2013, and, therefore, he might be granted educational remission.

The chief minister said that he had visited the Central Prison where the prisoner, Junaid, had given him a fabulous presentation at the technical centre of the prison.

The chief minister said the prisoner had already languished in jail for 15 years, and, therefore, he might be qualifying for bail/release.

The chief minister said that the imprisonment was meant for “correction” which seemed to have already taken place in the prisoner’s case who had passed different examinations with distinction.

He constituted a committee comprising Education Minister Saeed Ghani, Advisor on Law Murtaza Wahab and Advisor on Jails Aijaz Jakharni to visit the prisoner and submit their recommendations on humanitarian and legal grounds to the next cabinet meeting.

DARUL AMAN: The cabinet after a thorough discussion decided to transfer all the Darul Aman and Safe Houses from the Social Welfare Department to the Women Development Department.

The chief minister directed the chief secretary to review the functions of the Women’s Development Department and the Social Welfare department and if they were found to be identical then the two departments might be merged.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021