Karachi Sindh Labour and Human Resources Minister, Saeed Ghani, has said the provincial government of the Pakistan People’s Party has the fullest concentration on the development of Karachi as in turn the Karachiites this time opted to vote in favour of the PPP’s candidates who contested the local government elections.
While taking part on Saturday in the general discussion on the new provincial budget in Sindh Assembly, the Sindh Labour and Human Resources Minister told the house that Rs 182 billion had been reserved for the uplift of Karachi in the Annual Development Programme of the provincial government for the upcoming financial year.He said the total development allocation for Karachi in the new financial year under various heads increased to Rs 400 billion. Ghani told the house that the Sindh government had increased the minimum monthly wage of the labourers in the province to Rs 33750. He said the process to issue Benazir Mazdoor Cards was speedily being undertaken as in the second and third stages the cards will be issued to the self-employed workers in Sindh. Ghani predicted that in the general elections to be held in the country later in the current year, the PPP would win over 100 seats from Sindh while it would win the polls in over 20 constituencies in Karachi.
He told the house that the provincial Minimum Wage Board had been preparing recommendations to increase further the minimum salary of the workers to the latest announcement of Rs 33750 by the Sindh government.Ghani said the Sindh government had adopted the maximum number of pro-workers laws since the subject of labour had been devolved to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
He said that various reforms had been introduced to upgrade the working of the Sindh government’s Labour Department.Ghani told the lawmakers that the Sindh government had adopted laws for the welfare of the home-based workers and female labourers associated with the farm sector of the province.
He said that all the impediments had been removed for ensuring the swift issuance of Benazir Mazdoor Cards to the registered workers in the province. The Sindh Labour Minister said that in the next stage, the same cards would be issued to self-employed workers including taxi, rickshaw drivers, and pushcart vendors for providing educational, health.
