Karachi, August 24, 2019 (PPI-OT): Sindh Minister for Information and Archives and Labour Saeed Ghani has said that to empower the women of rural Sindh the cabinet on Saturday approved Sindh Women Agriculture Act 2019. Saeed Ghani said that the Chief Minister termed the Sindh Women Agriculture Workers Act 2019 a historic Act. The Minister said this while addressing post cabinet meeting press conference on Saturday. The cabinet meeting was presided over by the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. According to the Chief Minister in accordance with the vision of Chairman Pakistan People’s Party this Act was passed to provide social security to the women workers, the Minister told. He said that the Chief Minister was of the view that albeit their role was not being recognized appropriately but the fact of the matter was that the rural women were central to agro-based economy.
Saeed Ghani said that this Act would certainly bring a positive change in the lives of the women of rural areas. The Minister said that the farm labor that women were engaged in played a vital role not just for the economy but also for their families. He said that the Act would be presented before the provincial assembly within a week of this cabinet meeting. After the passage of this act the rights of the women affiliate with the profession of agriculture would be guarded, he said. He said that according to the Act those affiliated with Cultivation, Fisheries, Poultry, and husbandry would be considered as agriculture workers.
The Minister told that would also be permitted to seek help from the endowment fund of Benazir Income Support Program. Saeed Ghani said that the cabinet meeting also discussed the formation of Benazir Women Support Organization. Saeed Ghani told the media that with an aim of simplifying the process of purchasing the essential medicines for the health facilities in Sindh the cabinet in its meeting formed a committee comprised of Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Minister for Agriculture Department Muhammad Ismail Rahu, Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Climate Change, Coastal Development, Environment and Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab.
He said that all the medicines available with the Health Department would immediately be provided to the health facilities across the province. Saeed Ghani told that the cabinet also keeping in view in the qualification and the age limit approved the regularization of the staff and faculty members of Khairpur Medical College. The Minister said that the cabinet also decided to confer the charge of the executive director of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre to a grade 20 Medical Officer. He said that according to a decision taken by the cabinet the management board of the teaching hospital would function under vice chancellor of the concerned medical university.
Saeed Ghani said that from now onwards the vice chancellor would preside over the meeting of the board of the teaching hospitals. The eleven member board besides looking after the day to day affairs would monitor policy plan and work for the improvement of services in the hospitals, he added. Saeed Ghani said that the meeting was briefed that at present there was no flood emergency in the province and the situation was in total control. The water flow at Guddu barrage upstream was recorded at 274,000 cusec against a discharge of 241,000 cusec, he added.
The Minister said that meeting was told that all the right and left bank dykes were being vigilantly looked after and spurs had been constructed at old Tori dyke. According to the Minister the cabinet also approved the formation of a 14 member governing body of Sindh Employees’ Social Security Imitation. He said that the cabinet also approved the establishment of Sindh Minimum Wage Board. The meeting also decided to forma an advisory council for the empowerment of disable persons. The Minister for Special Education Department would head the advisory council, he said. Saeed Ghani said that the meeting also approved the formation of an Information and Technology Board.
The Minister said that keeping in view the advancement in the field of technology an IT Advisory Committee would be formed. The Chief Minister for the establishment of Information and Technology Board formed a committee comprising of Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Minister for Mines and Minerals Department Mir Shabir Ali Bijarani, Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Climate Change, Coastal Development, Environment and Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Secretary Finance and Secretary General Administration, he told. Saeed Ghani said that the cabinet in its meeting showing serious concern over the issue of malnutrition in the province also approved Sindh Food Fortification Bill 2019.
He said that the cabinet also approved the exemption of registration and stamp duty for Dawat-i-Hadya – a welfare organization being run by Bohra community. Saeed Ghani further informed that the cabinet also approved the establishment of a committee comprising of Minister for Forest Department Syed Nasir Husain Shah, Minister for Mines and Minerals Department Mir Shabir Ali Bijarani, and Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Climate Change, Coastal Development, Barrister Murtaza Wahab to present a draft of a sustainable forest policy with fifteen days of this meeting. The Minister informed that the cabinet also formed a committed to look into the usage of water for Irrigation and by Sindh Engro Coal Mines.
The committed would comprise of Minister for Irrigation Department Sohail Anwar Siyal, Minister for Energy Department Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh and Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Climate Change, Coastal Development, Barrister Murtaza Wahab. The committee would present its suggestions in the next cabinet meeting. The Minister further informed that the Sindh cabinet also approved Sindh Safe City Authority Bill 2019. The Director General of the Authority would be from the Police Department, he informed. Saeed Ghani told that the cabinet meeting also established the Cabinet Committee on Legislation.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla, and Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Climate Change, Coastal Development, Environment and Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab would be the members of the committee he informed. He said that the committee would look into the matters pertaining to private bills. Responding to a question Saeed Ghani said that Sindh Minister for Local Government in a letter had briefed at length Ali Zaidi about Clean Karachi drive. The Minister said that the garbage of the city could only be dumped at landfill sites only.
Parks, grounds and other open spaces were not meant for the same, he added. Responding to another question said that those conspiring against Pakistan People’s Party in Sindh should learn from the recent by elections in Ghotki. He said that whenever people voted for Pakistan People’s Party the conspirators emerged. He told that the money submitted in the Supreme Court by the management of Bahria Town belonged to the Sindh government not the federal government. Saeed Ghani said that the federal government as promised earlier should pay 50 percent of the total cost for S-III and K-IV projects respectively, besides 1200 cusecs of water should also be made available for Karachi immediately.
For more information, contact:
Information and Archives Department
Directorate of Press Information
Government of Sindh
95-Sindh Secretariat 4-B, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-99204423, +92-21-99204401
Email: pressinformationzubair@gmail.com
Website: http://sindhinformation.gos.pk
