ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has approved National Clean Air Policy as well as the National Accountability Amendment Ordinance 2023 and Hajj Policy on Thursday.
The meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was informed that there has been a substantial increase in air pollution in Pakistan over the past years.
According to the Air Quality Index Report 2022-23, Karachi and Lahore are the most-affected cities in Pakistan in terms of air pollution.
According to the report, air pollution in Pakistan reduced the average human lifespan by 2.7 years. According to a 2016 World Bank report, Pakistan’s economy suffers substantial annual losses due to air pollution.
In recent years, the number of accidents and various diseases due to smog in cities has increased tremendously.
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In this regard, the Ministry of Climate Change formulated a comprehensive policy to protect citizens’ health, reduce annual deaths, improve agriculture and improve air quality in urban and rural areas.
The policy proposes raising fuel standards from Euro 5 to Euro 6, strict regulations for industrial emissions, innovation in agriculture and effective treatment of crop waste incineration, universal waste disposal practices, and low-emission cooking methods will be welcomed.
The implementation of the policy will reduce the emission of toxic gases by an average of 40 percent in the next 10 years. A National Action Committee and a Technical Committee will be formed for effective and sure implementation of the policy.
The National Action Committee will not only provide long-term policy guidance in this regard but will also make necessary changes in the policy every five years keeping in mind the ground realities.
The Technical Committee will formulate a plan for the implementation of the policy and ensure its implementation and report to the National Action Committee. This technical committee will also make suggestions to remove the obstacles in the implementation of the policy.
Pakistan is currently suffering from severe pollution and many of its major cities are considered hazardous by the Air Quality Index.
According to the latest data, the average human life in Pakistan has decreased by 2.7 years due to air pollution. In this context, the Ministry of Climate Change has set up the National Clean Air Policy.
Implementation of the National Clean Air Policy will reduce air pollution and increase the average human lifespan by two years.
The federal cabinet was given a detailed briefing on the energy-saving strategy by the Power Division.
The meeting was told that the Ministry of Power, Petroleum, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and Ministry of Information are ensuring the implementation of the targets set by the cabinet. The federal cabinet approved the National Accountability Amendment Ordinance, 2023, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The recent amendments made in the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, had created some legal complications as many cases which were not covered by the NAB Ordinance were facing difficulties in transferring to other courts, tribunals, and forums.
After consultation with all the stakeholders, these amendments have been made in the NAB Ordinance, after which, accountability courts will get legal justification in transferring these cases.
These amendments will also remove the impression that such cases which do not come under the purview of the NAB Ordinance will be decriminalized. The federal cabinet has officially approved the Hajj Policy 2023. The prime minister directed the relevant authorities to complete an effective and comprehensive strategy as soon as possible with the cooperation of the Saudi Arabian authorities in order to provide all possible facilities to Pakistani pilgrims during their journey and Hajj.
The federal cabinet approved the decisions taken in the meetings of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) held on 01-03-2023 and 06-03-2023 and decisions made in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases on March 6, 2023.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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