Category: Lahore

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said lawyers facilitation centers are being established in 42 jails of the province.

Chairing a meeting to review jail reforms in Lahore on Thursday, he said that in first phase, twenty-two ambulances will be provided to jail authorities for shifting ill prisoners from jail hospitals to any general hospitals, while twenty-one more ambulances will be provided next year. Usman Buzdar also directed to keep air coolers, fans and televisions functional in all the jails.

LAHORE: Microsoft signs an Educational Transformation Agreement (ETA) with two major departments of the Government of Sindh – the School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) and Sindh Education Foundation (SEF). The agreement is based on Microsoft ETF under which Microsoft is committed to make digital transformation of the educational sector more successful and organized.

The aim of this alliance is to strengthen the education sector across Sindh by unleashing the potential of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) at every level. Under this agreement, Microsoft will conduct several workshops, training sessions, webinars and other joint activities in Sindh involving the key stakeholders.

According to a statement on Thursday, on the first step of collaboration is to work with leadership of the Sindh education to discuss and develop tailor-made digital transformation strategies. In this context, a number of change management workshops with the leadership will be conducted to help smoothen out the digitization process in the Sindh education sector. The Microsoft specialists are also committed to train the Sindh Government in designing, planning, and implementing cloud solutions through its cloud certification programs and producing MIE Master trainers who will impart technology learning on the behalf of Microsoft.

On the occasion of signing the agreement, Mr. Jibran Jamshad, Country Education Lead at Microsoft Corporation stated that “The agreement will prove to be a roadmap for both parties in bridging the gap between education and employability through information Communication technology. He further added that since we realize that the education sector in Pakistan demands a great deal of change in terms of digitalization, we are already connecting with various educational institutions. We are closely working with a number of private and public sector institutions in developing customized educational products and services. This partnership with Sindh Government is another step towards this goal to transform education sector in Sindh province.”

The Secretary School Education and Literacy Department, Sindh Mr. Ghulam Akbar Laghari expresses his views at the occasion “We are proud to be partnered with Microsoft in digitalizing Education system in Sindh. Under this partnership, we have developed SELD learning hub App and digital classrooms to cater the educational needs of students in current emergency situations. We are formally organizing these digital learning platforms to avoid any further gap in children learning across the province. Also, we foresee that this partnership has a long way to go in ensuring rapid pace of innovation in the classroom and inspire students for great achievements.

Another significant aspect of this ETA is to help Sindh education sector take benefit from the latest Microsoft technologies including Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure Microsoft teams and much more. Developing these skills, students, faculties and educators will be able to learn, collaborate, create content and share resources using the power of various Microsoft tools. This will enable the education sector to keep flowing and performing even in emergency situations like global pandemic.

This partnership pave way to reduce the gap between the education and employability through employment focused skill development programs. The program also involves special programs for people with vision and speech disabilities. Taking this cooperation to the next level, Microsoft will also join hands with the Sindh Government in creating a feasible and robust environment for digitalization. For example, in providing affordable and secure devices, free learning materials, providing professional development opportunities, ensuring internet connectivity in the areas of Sindh without the facility.

LAHORE: Two children died and many got injured when the roof of a room caved in at Harbanspura area of Lahore on Wednesday.

 

According to details, the roof of room in a house situated in the Main Bazar of Harbanspura caved in trapping many people under the debris. Rescue teams soon reached there and rescued 11 people from the debris and shifted them to the Services Hospital.

 

However, two children succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, said the Rescue officials. According to the Rescue officials, those who died were identified as eight-year-old Babar and 12-year-old Sania. Other nine injured are still under treatment at the hospital.

LAHORE:Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dreshak MNA and Livestock Minister Sardar Husnain Bahadur Dreshak met with Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office and discussed matters of mutual interests.

The CM pointed out that south Punjab has been given a separate identity while empowering the south Punjab secretariat and regretted that the past rulers did nothing except making tall claims. The claimants of the long march could not dare to hold even a short march; he added and maintained that those boasting about no-confidence move do not trust each other.

Pakistan cannot be moved forward through a no-confidence threat or long march, he added and regretted that the opposition was trying to impede the development journey through politics of anarchy, he added. This undemocratic behaviour is detrimental to the country’s future and the nation has also recognized the negativity of the opposition leaders, he added.

LAHORE:Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has said the importance of the institution of civil defence has increased manifold.

In his message on Tuesday, the CM said that the role of the civil defence department cannot be ignored and it is imperative to update this institution according to modern-day needs and requirements.

The role of the civil defence department in war and natural calamities is important as protecting the life of the citizens is a noble cause, he said. The government pays tributes to the people assigned the duty of civil defence and it also reiterates the commitment to further strengthen the institution, the CM concluded.

LAHORE:Punjab government has decided to offer medical facilities for test-tube babies at the government level for the first time, helping childless couples to take advantage of the facility, according to a report on Tuesday

 

The first-of-its-kind facility at the government level in Pakistan will become operational from June as the health department in Punjab has established departments for utilizing IVF technology at government health facilities for women and children in Lahore. The facility for test-tube babies will be offered free of cost in the government centres, contrary to the private sector, where hefty amounts are being charged for the provision of the facility.

 

Moreover, the government facility will also have a unit to determine mental and physical health issues among children prior to their birth while it would also have a facility to identify health-related issues among pregnant women. The Punjab government has launched multiple health initiatives in the province for improving the medical facilities and recently, the government launched Sehat Card initiative, allowing the population of the province to get access to the free medical facility of upto Rs1 million.

LAHORE:The 51st provincial cabinet meeting, which was held under the chair of Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office on Tuesday, approved an amendment in Punjab Civil Servants Act, 1974 and the cabinet unanimously reserved 32% job quota for south Punjab.

The CM directed the committee to present recommendations for reserving job quotas for other backward districts. The cabinet approved to amend West Pakistan Rules under Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 and further decided to include the clause of an oath about the finality of Prophethood (PBUH). The marrying couples would have to testify their belief in the finality of Prophethood (PBUH) at the time of their Nikkah.

The cabinet gave in-principle approval to lease out state lands for corporate forming under CPEC and the CM directed to constitute a ministerial committee to devise lease rules. 500 to 5000 acres of land would be utilized for this purpose to create job opportunities and to modernize the agriculture sector for food security. The CM directed to submit a policy for giving proprietary rights to the dwellers of katchi abadis in the next meeting while the cabinet also approved the Punjab Sahulat Bazar Authority Act, 2021 to permanently establish insaf sahulat bazaars up to tehsil level to provide essential items to the consumers on subsidized rates. The chief minister and industries minister would be the chairman and vice-chairman of the authority.

The cabinet forwarded the issue of determination of eligibility and constitution of the search committee for posting vice-chancellor of University of Health Science, Lahore to the law department and accorded approval to amendment in Punjab Regularization of Service Act, 2018. Under it, it has been decided to amend rules to make permanent the contract employees of some departments. The cabinet also approved amendments in the birth control policy for pie dogs in the light of court directions, Punjab Road Safety Authority Act, 2020 and Punjab Drugs Rules, 2007.

Technical supplementary grant was also approved to give financial cover to commodity operations during 2122 along with the approval of a supplementary grant for payment of mark up and subsidy on imported sugar during the current financial year. It also decided to amalgamate technical and vocational institutions at one platform while approving the reconstitution of the district consumer protection council and Punjab Private Schools Regulatory Authority to regulate private schools along with resolving public complaints.

The participants approved austerity measures for 2021-22 and expansion of the scope of the waseela taleem program of secondary education and Punjab Examination Business Rules, 2021. Upgradation of different posts was approved in the light of recommendations of the ACS-led committee and upgradation of posts of telephone operators of all the departments was approved. Similarly, the upgradation recommendations of prisons and other departments were also endorsed and the CM directed to present such recommendations before the cabinet without delay. Approval was granted to give DDO powers to SHO along with the approval of 720 posts of accountants (senior clerks in grade 14).

It was decided to declare unclassified forests as protected forests along with declaring Namal Lake as a wetland. It was decided to transfer rare birds from the first schedule to the third schedule and from the fourth schedule to the third schedule under Punjab Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Amendment Act, 2007. The matter of transfer of land to judicial complex Murree for its expansion was sent to the ministerial committee.

It was decided to declare Tilla Reserve Forest Kotla Jogian as a national park along with the approval of the establishment of the salt range nature reserve complex. Transfer of four Kanal land to establish model police station, arazi centre and rescue 1122 station in Gujrat area of Kot Addu was given approval along with the delegation of powers to deputy commissioners under Section 196 of criminal procedure. Similarly, in-principle approval was granted to depute staff for Phase II of the national program for improvement of watercourses in Pakistan (Punjab component) under PSDP and ADP.

The meeting approved to immediately auction the pesticides procured for anti-locust operations in Punjab. Amendment in Punjab Luxury House Tax Rules, 2014 and establishment of accreditation committee of higher education department was approved along with approval to amend sub-clause 3 of Punjab Finance Act, 2021. 95% exemption on the token tax of electric vehicles in Punjab was approved and in-principle approval was given to increase the approved ceiling of guarantee and loans under sub-clause 31 of Punjab Small Industries Corporation Act, 1977 and the finance department was directed to present recommendations for increasing the ceiling of guarantee and loans. The in-principle decision was also made to present a bill to regulate Muttahida Ulema Board.

The meeting approved the annual report 2019-20 of PCTB, AGP audit report for 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 along with financial report 2018-19 of Punjab government. Information system audit report for 2019-20 about buss schedule system and automatic fare collection of PMA, Punjab governments special audit report about corona expenditures for 2019-20, annual report 2019 of Punjab Baitul Maal Council, annual audit and performance report of PJA for 2016-17 and 2017-18 and annual reports of Punjab Commission on the Status of Women for 2019 and 2020 were approved.

Punjab government’s accounts appropriation for 2017-18 were approved and decisions made in 49 and 50th cabinet meetings were also endorsed along with the approval of decisions made in 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68 meetings of the cabinet standing committee for finance and development while the decisions of cabinet standing committee for legislation made in its 75, 76, 77, 78 and 79 meetings were also endorsed.