Punjab: CM orders survey of state land to check illegal occupation

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, April 19, 2009
By Our Correspondent

LAHORE

The Punjab govenment has ordered survey of the state land and formed a committee in this regard.

The directive was issued by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif during a meeting on Saturday. All departments of the provincial government will provide details of the property owned by them.

The CM issued the directions while presiding over a meeting regarding the fixing of priorities under the annual development programme at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Saturday.

It is worth mentioning that the meeting was also participated in by PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif and other central leaders of the party including Chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Vice President Javed Hashmi, Ishaq Dar and Sartaj Aziz. The Members of the National and the Provincial Assemblies, the Senators, the Provincial Ministerís Chief Secretary and all the provincial secretaries were also present.

Addressing the meeting, the CM said that priorities were being set for the next annual development programme with a view to providing maximum benefit to the poor and achieving the target of progress and prosperity of the country. He said that the health insurance scheme would soon be launched and its modalities evolved.

He said that the Punjab government had taken revolutionary measures such as the food support programme and the Sasti Roti Scheme for the poor and the next ADP should also be poor friendly.

The Chief Minister said that the provincial government would fix its priorities for the next annual development programme within its resources and those segments of the society would be brought into tax network that could easily pay, sparing the common man from shouldering the additional burden.

He said that the agriculture, the livestock, the infrastructure, and other sectors would have to be developed with the consultation of the elected representatives so that the common man could benefit the maximum from the sectors. He said a comprehensive programme would also be devised for the monitoring of the uplift schemes and corruption would be rooted out so that public money could be properly utilized.

He said that the government had ensured the provision of free medicines to patients in hospitals, adding, dialysis facilities were also being made available at DHQ hospitals. He said that the revolutionary programmes had also been initiated for the welfare of the common man and 1.8 million poor families were benefiting from the food support programme.

He said that the basic purpose of this programme was to enable children of poor families to stand on their own feet. In order to achieve the purpose, vocational training of these children will be arranged at TEVTA and other institutions so that they could support their families, he added.

The CM said that the Sasti Roti scheme for the poor was being implemented successfully and committees were being set up to further improve the progrmame. He said that the number of tandoors in the poor localities was being increased. To provide opportunities of quality education to the students of the backward areas at par with the developed ones, endowment fund has been set up with a sum of Rs.2 billion and 5,000 male and female students obtaining top positions in different examinations would be given scholarships from the fund this year. He said that all the progrmames for the welfare of the poor would be brought to a single platform and short and medium term planning would be made for the purpose.

The CM asserted the government would ensure the proper utilization of state land for increasing agriculture production substantially. He said a comprehensive policy would also be formulated for the distribution of state land among landless cultivators. Earlier, the Chairman of the Planning and Development informed the meeting that seven working groups had been formed to fix priorities for the next annual development programme and they were formulating their recommendations in this regard. The Finance secretary informed the meeting about the available resources for the development projects. Similarly, other provincial secretaries also gave details about the projects of their respective departments.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has issued orders to arrest within seven days the culprits involved in the gang rape of a 14-year-old girl of Depalpur. The chief minister visited the victim family home in village Bhugian, Tehsil Depalpur District Okara on Saturday, assuring them that the culprits would be brought to justice.

Shahbaz Sharif announced direct monetary assistance worth Rs5, 00,000 for the affected family. He also announced free education for the aggrieved familyís children so that they could become useful members of the society.

Talking to the parents of the victim, the Chief Minister said that police would play their due role for the eradication of crimes from the society, adding, it would serve as a deterrent for criminals, checking such heinous crimes.

Meanwhile, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Azam Khan Swati, called on Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Saturday.

Matters of mutual interest including the development projects in the province were discussed during the meeting. Federal Secretary Kashif Murtaza, the P&D chairman and the provincial Commerce and Investment secretary were also present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the country representative of the World Food Programme, Wolfgang Herbinger along with a four-member delegation called on Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Saturday.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=173196