Zubair Yaqoob
Karachi
Sindh Cabinet after detailed discussion approved the bill to restore Student Unions and fixed the price of sugarcane at Rs.192/40kg on Monday. Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani told the media men that Agriculture Minister Mohammad Ismail Rahu and Secretary of Agriculture Department gave detailed briefing to the Cabinet and told that Punjab had fixed the price of sugar cane at Rs. 190/40kg. Saeed Ghani said that the Agriculture Minister told the members of the cabinet that the price of sugar has also increased to Rs. 66.
The Cabinet was also told that 26 mills were currently had started crushing. The cabinet had also set November 30, a date to begin crushing, advisor said. While it also fixed the premium for sugar cane growers at the rate of 50 paisa/kg. He said this while addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting on Monday. The cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. The meeting was attended by all Cabinet Ministers, Administrative Secretaries and other concerned officers. Saeed Ghani told that the cabinet after discussion approved the bill to restore Student Unions. The cabinet decided that the bill would be introduced in the Assembly and then sent to the Standing Committee on law. The Minister said that the bill would be passed only after consulting all stakeholders.
He said that this was also discussed in the cabinet that student unions could not stop educational activities and secondly, they could not spread hatred among the students. Student union members would not be allowed to have weapons with them nor will they be allowed to carry these arms into the educational institution. Students’ Union would work to improve discipline, environment, and to promote extracurricular activities in the educational institutions, he said. Saeed Ghani said that a student union would comprise of 7 to 11 members and would be elected by students.
According to the Minister, the provincial cabinet was told that the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association had requested the federal government in 2016/17 to allow to export surplus sugar.
The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association also requested that it should also be given cash freight support at Rs.20/kg as the price of sugar in the global market was low. The cabinet was informed that the Federal and the Provincial government had agreed to share the cost of subsidy on 50-50 percent basis with a rebate of Rs. 10.70/kg. Sindh government gave conditional approval to release 3.393 billion of its shares. These funds would go to the State Bank’s account.
The provincial minister said that the cabinet decided that on this particular issue the decision made at the previous cabinet meeting would be met. He said that this matter was currently under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau, so the funds to the State Bank could not be issued at this moment in time as the inquiry of NAB was underway.
