Month: July 2026

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was briefed on Saturday that Punjab had become the first province in Pakistan to undertake comprehensive digital health and demographic mapping of its population, with the country’s largest-ever digital health census nearing completion.

Chairing a meeting of the Health and Population Department here, the chief minister reviewed progress on the Community Health Inspectors Programme. She was informed that health and demographic profiling of more than 85 percent of the population had been completed in 18 districts, while five districts had achieved 100 percent coverage and another five had crossed the 95 per cent mark.

The meeting was told that digital health and demographic profiles of 94.3 million citizens had been registered. Every household across Punjab had also been assigned a unique digital identification number through the province’s digital mapping initiative.

Under the programme, 14,300 Community Health Inspectors visited households to collect health, demographic, socio-economic, drinking water and disability-related data. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also reviewed the programme’s digital dashboard, which consolidates the information for evidence-based planning and service delivery.

The CM said reliable data was the foundation of effective public policy, adding that healthcare services would now be planned and delivered on the basis of authentic digital information rather than estimates.

‘Without accurate data, it is impossible to determine where patients are located or how many medicines and healthcare facilities are required,’ she said, adding that the initiative would help identify long-neglected health challenges and improve resource allocation across the province.

During the briefing, the meeting was informed that cardiac catheterisation laboratories (Cath Labs) would be made operational in 16 districts by December. Five Cath Labs are already functional, while facilities in Bhakkar, Bahawalnagar and Layyah have been directed to become operational at the earliest. The CM sought weekly performance reports on all functional Cath Labs.

CM Maryam Nawaz also directed authorities to further improve the home delivery system for medicines and launch a comprehensive population management campaign to address the province’s growing population. She proposed the ‘Maryam Nawaz Sehat Mand Gharana’ programme to link citizens directly with healthcare centres, reducing unnecessary hospital visits. Patients suffering from diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis, cancer and malnutrition would receive digital follow-up and continuous monitoring under the integrated system.

The meeting was further informed that a modern disaster recovery site would be established to ensure the security and protection of the province’s digital health data.

The CM directed that Phase-II Cath Labs in eight additional districts be completed by the end of July. She also appreciated the anti-polio teams after environmental samples collected from 19 districts tested negative for the poliovirus, paying tribute to health workers for their tireless efforts in the campaign against polio.

Lahore: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) sealed five food businesses, imposed fines totaling Rs453,000 on 23 others and destroyed more than two maunds of substandard food items and meat during a grand enforcement operation against food safety violations, here on Saturday.

Acting on the directions of the Director General Punjab Food Authority Syed Musa Raza, inspection teams raided 28 food businesses in Harbanspura, G.T. Road, Bahria Town and Samanabad. Among the sealed premises were the bakery production section of a renowned supermarket, a milk shop, a popular biryani restaurant and a chicken sale centre over serious violations of food safety regulations. A well-known retail store was also sealed for selling non-traceable jelly and coffee drinks.

During the inspections, officials found mould-infested food stored in foul-smelling freezers, contaminated water on broken floors, insect-infested kitchens and the use of non-food-grade materials. More than two maunds of meat and other food items, found unfit for human consumption, were destroyed before reaching consumers.

The teams also detected the use of non-food-grade detergents for washing utensils, while mandatory medical and training certificates of food handlers, water testing reports and other required records were missing at several establishments.

PFA DG Syed Musa Raza said the authority was committed to ensuring the availability of safe and quality food and eliminating the adulteration mafia. He said compliance with food safety laws was mandatory for all food businesses operating in Punjab and warned that those endangering public health would face no leniency.

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Local Government and Community Development (LG and CD) Zeeshan Rafiq has said the provincial government would introduce a permanent and effective cleanliness mechanism in public hospitals across Punjab..

Chairing a meeting at the Suthra Punjab Authority office here on Saturday, the minister reviewed proposals for preparing a comprehensive plan to improve sanitation standards in government hospitals. Additional Secretary Mehreen Faheem Abbasi and Additional Director General of the Suthra Punjab Authority Aurangzeb also attended the meeting.

The minister said the chief minister had directed authorities to ensure regular cleaning of hospital wards, corridors, lawns and washrooms throughout the province. He added that additional resources would be provided to maintain cleanliness standards in public hospitals and instructed the Suthra Punjab Authority to prepare a detailed implementation plan.

The meeting also reviewed progress on the Waste-to-Value programme. The minister was informed that pilot projects were under way in Lakhodair (Lahore), Faisalabad, Sialkot and Sheikhupura, while non-landfill waste disposal production was being carried out in Dera Ghazi Khan and Chakwal.

Zeeshan Rafiq said case studies being conducted by university scholars in collaboration with the Suthra Punjab Authority had reached the final stage, adding that future initiatives for waste utilisation would be implemented in line with experts’ recommendations. He said the government was committed to converting accumulated waste into valuable resources through biogas, organic fertiliser and other energy-generation projects. He added that an experimental biogas production unit using animal waste was already producing output in Lahore.

The meeting also reviewed the performance of Suthra Punjab agencies across the province. The Additional Director General briefed the minister on their progress.

Zeeshan Rafiq said the establishment of district-level agencies had strengthened the monitoring system at the grassroots level and directed officials to submit performance reports of all district managing directors.

Lahore: Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ejaz on Saturday reviewed ongoing beautification and development work on Jati Umra Road and Sundar-Raiwind Road and directed officials to ensure the highest standards of quality, transparency and public convenience in all projects.

During a field visit to Jati Umra and Raiwind, the DC inspected the pace of development schemes and the quality of construction work in Tehsil Raiwind. Chief Officer Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) and Assistant Commissioner Raiwind accompanied him during the visit.

The assistant commissioner gave a detailed briefing on the beautification drive, development plan and quality monitoring being carried out by the Public Health Engineering Department and MCL. Officials informed the deputy commissioner that construction work was being closely supervised to ensure durability and compliance with approved standards.

The DC reviewed the refreshing of curb stones and maintenance of green belts along Jati Umra Road and directed the authorities to take all necessary steps to further enhance the beauty of roads and public spaces. He also instructed officials to keep the green belts in a healthy and lush condition and maintain cleanliness on roads and streets under the Suthra Punjab Mission.

DC Ali Ejaz stressed that there would be no compromise on quality and transparency in public projects. He said development schemes should be durable so that local residents could benefit from them for many years. He directed the authorities to make complete arrangements for alternative traffic routes during construction activities and ordered the immediate removal of encroachments to improve traffic flow and enhance the city’s appearance. He expressed the hope that completion of drainage projects in Raiwind would help resolve long-standing civic problems faced by local residents.

Lahore: The School Education Department Punjab has released new learning outcome targets for Urdu, English and Mathematics for the academic year 2026-27 with the aim of improving the academic performance of students from grades I to V.

As per the instructions issued by the department, separate educational targets have been set for each school, while Gender-Disaggregated Learning Targets have also been prepared for male and female students so that educational progress can be effectively monitored.

All Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have been directed to immediately convey the school-wise learning targets to Assistant Education Officers (AEOs) and Head Teachers. For this purpose, the targets will also be shared through WhatsApp groups and official emails.

The department has directed the AEOs to regularly review the implementation of these targets during their monthly monitoring visits, while learning outcomes and targets should also be made a part of the agenda in the review meetings of all districts.

These new educational targets are being implemented under the ongoing GRADES project with the support of the World Bank. The department says that the aim of this initiative is to improve the academic performance of students in government schools, make learning outcomes effective and ensure the promotion of quality education.

The School Education Department has directed all CEOs to ensure effective implementation of these instructions by immediately informing the concerned officers and school heads.

Lahore: Engineer Dr Badrul Islam on Saturday took charge as Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education( BISE) Lahore chairman, and took a round of all sections of the board.

Secretary Rizwan Nazir, Controller Examinations Tauseef-ur-Rehman accompanied him during the tour. The news board chief listened to problems of students and employees and issued orders for resolving these issues.

He said that all affairs of the board should be transparent and warned that laziness on the part of board employees would not be tolerated.