Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing Town Planning, Religious Affairs and Forest Department, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that the Sindh Cabinet fixed a wheat purchase target of 1.4m tonnes which would be met by the Food Department.
Minister for Information told that as per Cabinet decision 37% of the total production of wheat of each district would be procured. He said this while briefing the journalists after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The Cabinet meeting was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. All the Ministers, Advisers Special Assistants to Chief Minister, Sindh Chief Secretary and all other relevant officers attended the meeting. While briefing the media Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that Sindh Chief Minister was of the view that owing to the rising inputs costs the minimum support price for wheat had to be creased. The Minister said that the CM stressed that the interests of the local farmers must be taken care of. He told that the Cabinet decided that since the Federal government was revising its minimum support price for wheat therefore the Sindh government should fix the minimum support price for wheat after the announcement from the Federal government.
On the issue of the Sindh Inspector General’s replacement, the Cabinet was informed that the Police Acts of both Sindh and Punjab were almost similar. The Minister told that the Cabinet member regretted that the federal government never responded to the letters of the Sindh government in the prompt way as it always did in case of Punjab government. He said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah informed the members of the Cabinet that he had asked the Prime Minister to brief his cabinet over the issue if they had any reservations. The CM told that he had informed the federal cabinet that it was not possible for him to consult Governor Sindh over the issue of replacement of IGP, Sindh. He said that the Cabinet also opposed to send more names to the federal government to consider for the appointment of IGP. The cabinet once again demanded the replacement of IGP, Sindh, without ado.
Syed Nasir Hussain Shah told that the Cabinet also approved the proposed amendments to the Stamp Act of 1899. The Minister informed that the amendments in the Stamp Duty Act 1899 were being done to accommodate certain modern requirements linked with electronic based tax payments mechanisms. He said that the Chief Minister was of the view that with E-stamping the revenue collection of the Board of Revenue should increase. The CM said that the total collection of the Sindh Revenue Board was Rs. 9.9 billion which could be increased. He said that target for the current fiscal year was Rs. 15 billion.
Syed Nasir Hussain Shah informed that the Cabinet also approved the procurement of furniture for public schools. The Minister for Information told that the Cabinet was informed that the furniture would be procured for the public schools in accordance with their specified demands. He said that speaking on the issue Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed that the Education & Literacy Department should constantly update the people about the procurement of furniture for the schools in their areas through its website, so as to, make them aware about the facilities they had been provided by the government. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the Cabinet also decided that the old schools would be refurbished every year.
Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah told the media that the Cabinet was informed that all the necessary arrangements had been made to deal with the coronavirus victims, if any. The Minister said that 300 Chinese nationals arrived in Karachi the other day who had been completely checked up by the Chinese authorities. He said that the Sindh government also sent ambulances and doctors at the airport. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that our doctors confirmed that all these people were all right and not affected by the Coronavirus. The Minister also told that a Chinese national child had been admitted in a hospital in Gambat for check-up. He said that kits to detect virus had been received from Islamabad and isolation wards had also been set up in few of the hospitals.
He said that the Cabinet also decided that the ministers would hold open courts in their respective constituencies in the last week of February. The Minister said the Cabinet found this initiative of holding open courts quite useful. The Ministers would hold the open courts in the similar districts where they met with the people previously. The Cabinet also decided to direct concerned deputy commissioners and secretary general administration to present the reports the previous open courts, so as to see the status of implementation of the decisions previously made.
Nasir Hussain Shah informed that in total Rs 835 billion were to be transferred to the province this year. The Minister said in these seven months Rs 487 billion were to be transferred to Sindh from the centre but so far only Rs. 359 billion had been transferred. There was a shortfall of Rs. 128 billion, he added.
Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah informed that the Cabinet unanimously approved the honorary promotion of martyred Senior Superintendent Prison, Muhammad Aijaz Haider, a grade 19 office to the post of Deputy Inspector General Prisons in accordance with Sindh Shaheed Recognition Act, 2014. The Minister said that the cabinet was informed that the son of the martyred officer had requested for the honorary promotion of his father in recognition of his services. He told that Muhammad Aijaz Haider was assassinated by the militants of banned organization in 2015.
Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah told the media that the cabinet in its decision approved that from now onwards the secretary of the concerned department had been authorized to approve the reimbursement of medical bill up to one million. The chief secretary would approve a medical reimbursement between one million to two million, whereas a reimbursement exceeding two million would need an approval from the chief minister.
