LAHORE:The 52nd cabinet meeting which met under Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar reposed
complete trust over him while approving around eight billion rupees Ramazan Package-2022.
Under the package, the 10-kg flour bag would be available at Rs 450 at Ramazan bazaars as the government will provide around four billion subsidy. Similarly, 13 other food items would be provided at the rates of the previous year in Ramazan bazaars. One kg sugar bag would be sold for Rs10 less than the market price. Similarly, chicken would be available at Rs 10 less per kg and eggs at Rs 5 per dozen less than the market.
317 Ramazan bazaars, 30 in Lahore, 19 in Faisalabad, 16 each in Rawalpindi and Gujranwala and 12 each in Kasur and Bahawalpur would be set up across the province from last week of Sha’aban where agri fair price shops would also be established to provide eatables at affordable rates. The Ramazan bazaars would serve as Eid bazaars after the 20th of Ramazan.
The cabinet approved wheat procurement policy 2022-23 to purchase 35 lakh metric ton wheat at the rate of Rs 2,200 per maund. The procurement target would be enhanced if needed and the meeting further decided to effectively curtail the illegal movement of wheat. An eight-member provincial level committee was also formulated to procure wheat as the monitoring committees would monitor the procurement process at different levels. Temporary staff would also be hired for this purpose.
The cabinet decided to hand over the administration of four nationalized missionary schools to the US. Presbyterian Church and approved the act for new universities to be set up in Attock, TT Singh, Rajanpur, Hafizabad, Pakpattan, Gujranwala, Taunsa, Kamalia, Layyah and DG Khan. The new universities could only set up sub-campuses in their respective districts only.
It also approved a new search committee, comprising of Rector NUST Lt Gen (R) Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Prof Akmal Hussain, Syed Tahir Shahbaz, Chairperson PHEC and secretary Higher Education Department, for posting of VC of Punjab University. It approved to construct a graduate girls college over 34 Kanal land in Sikandria Colony in Lahore along with the approval of 15000 acres Cholistan land for military schedule. Conditional approval of a settlement between PSCA and Huawei was granted as the company would repair and upkeep of CCTVs for two years.
The proceedings of the 80th to 84th meetings of the cabinet standing committee for the legislation were also endorsed.