Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired the federal cabinet meeting and approved the Hajj and the National Clean Air policies on Thursday.
The federal cabinet meeting was held in Islamabad in which the PM was briefed about the National Clean Air Policy.
The federal cabinet also made a detailed consultation on the Hajj Policy which is already approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in its last meeting.
The Ministry of Climate Change briefed the cabinet members that in 2021,
Pakistan was among the 3 most polluted countries in the world while Karachi and Lahore are among the most polluted cities in the world.
The ministry told the members that air pollution has become a major problem in Pakistan which has reduced the life expectancy in the country.
It was also briefed that in 2019, 0.235 million deaths were reported due to air pollution while in winter, the smog problem becomes dangerous in Pakistan. The cabinet is briefed that the National Clean Air Policy will help in reducing air pollution in the country. As per the briefing, a National Action Committee will be formed to assist a technical committee under the National Clean Air Policy.
Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman told the cabinet that the aim of the policy is to provide cities with clean air to breathe. She confirmed that all stakeholders were consulted on the National Clean Air Policy.
The sources said the federal cabinet has also approved the Hajj Policy 2023. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has already approved the Hajj Policy 2023 and the Hajj Package will be Rs1.165 million and Rs1.175 million for the southern and the northern regions respectively.
The committee approved that US$ 90 million will be provided for the pilgrims as this year a total of 179,210 pilgrims will have the blessing of Hajj while the government and the private quotas have been fixed at 50-fifty.
While 50 per cent of the private Hajj quota will be allocated for the Sponsorship Scheme.
The Hajj Package for northern areas will be 1,175,000 rupees and for southern regions will be 1,165,000 rupees.
