THE Punjab Cabinet has approved a sweeping set of policy decisions covering agriculture, employment, public transport, health, education and governance.
Presided over by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the meeting unveiled a new roadmap for inclusive development across the province.
The decision to launch Apna Khet, Apna Roazgar programme will surely go a long way in not only exploiting the maximum potential of agriculture to give a boost to agri production but also provide employment opportunities to thousands in different parts of the province. Under the move, state land will be distributed among fifty thousand people for cultivation and hopefully this will be done in a transparent manner to produce the desired results. Encouraged by the popular response to introduction of electric buses, the cabinet has decided to procure one thousand more green buses to ply them at the tehsil level as part of the policy to provide decent and affordable transport facilities to people. It has also been decided to introduce a cashless payment system for public transport including T-Cash cards and bank cards, with higher fares applicable to cash payments. Fresh recruitments have been allowed in some departments to promote their efficiency and output besides creating employment opportunities for youth. The Chief Minister has also taken notice of over-loaded transformers and safety concerns vis-à-vis power distribution lines in Lahore, which is appreciable but similar problems exist in other urban centres and they too need the attention of the provincial government.
