Sindh Minister for Information, Archives and Labour Saeed Ghani has said that the Sindh Cabinet approved Home Based Workers’ Rules, 2019, under which the home based workers would be registered. According to the rules a ten-member Provincial Council would be constituted to work on the mapping of the home-based workers, the provincial minister said.
He said this while briefing the journalists after the provincial cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Cabinet meeting was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and attended by all the provincial ministers, advisers, Sindh chief secretary and other relevant officers. Saeed Ghani said that the Sindh Cabinet after deliberations also approved Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children’s Rules, 2018.
Saeed Ghani said that the Sindh Cabinet also approved the amendment to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965. Provincial Minister for Information said that the cabinet was told that the amendments in these rules had been done so as to made the installation of trackers in the motorcycles mandatory. He said that after amendment in Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, a tracker had to be installed in every new motorcycle in future. It had been left to the owner of an old motoecycle whether to install a tracker in it or not. Saeed Ghani said that the cabinet observed that the law should be same for all, and that all motorcycle users should install a tracker. The cabinet also set up a committee under Minister Transport, which would include Minister Excise and Minister Local Government, to review the proposed amendments and submit their recommendations, the provincial information minister said.
Furthermore, Saeed Ghani said that the cabinet also approved the establishment of Urban and Regional Master Planning Authority under Local Government Department.
The Cabinet was told that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had also instructed to establish this authority. Provincial Minister for Information told that Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Secretary Local Government briefed the Cabinet in detail, in this regard. The cabinet was also told that this Authority would be authorized to prepare master plans for all the cities of the province.
Saeed Ghani informed that the cabinet also approved the the Constitution and Regulation of Sindh Councils Unified Grades (Services) Rules 2019. He said that the Cabinet was informed that unified grades included the cadres of Administration, Medical, Accounts and Engineering (Electrical Civil and Mechanical). The cabinet was also informed that a pension fund had been set up for the employees of the Unified Service, in which Rs 50 million were being deposited every month by the Finance Department. The Minister informed that when the issue of salaries in Union Councils was raised during the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister directed that the issue of the payment of salaries to the employees of the local government be resolved. He also directed for the computerization of the entire system. In addition, the Chief Minister directed to determine the exact number of the employees of the Union Councils, besides, auditing their salary system.
Saeed Ghani said that the Sindh cabinet also approved the proposal of Sindh Revenue Board of lowering tax rate. Sindh Revenue Board proposed to reduce tax rate on the services of hotels, motels, restaurants, beauty parlours, slimming clinics, fashion design, health centres, cosmetic and plastic surgery.
Saeed Ghani said that during the discussion on the criteria of deceased quota, the cabinet was informed that at present there were 300 such cases which had been time barred. Provincial Minister for Information and Labour said that during the discussion on provision of job claimed on deceased qouta, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that he wanted to ensure that the job on deceased quota proovided immediately. He said that Chief Minister directed that this should be mention in the Annual Confidential Report of an officer that how well and quickly he managed the provision of job permitted under deceased quota. Saeed Ghani said that the Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary Sindh to deivse a clear policy of the deceased quota.
Saeed Ghani said that the provincial cabinet also approved Provincial Ombudsman Bill (Amendment) 2020 and decided to send it to the provincial assembly immediately. The Provincial Information Minister said that Law Advisor Murtaza Wahab briefed the cabinet that the Assembly had passed the bill, but Governor Sindh raised some objections and sent it back. The cabinet discussed the objections raised by the Governor in detail. Cabinet members believed that when in all other three provinces the government appointed the Ombudsman, then the Ombudsman Sindh would also be appointed by Sindh government.
Saeed Ghani said that the cabinet also discussed in detail the target and support price for procurement of wheat crop of 2019-20. Provincial Information Minister said that in this regard a committee had been set up which would comprised of Minister for Food, Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Local Government. This committee would determine the process of wheat procurement. Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah was of the opinion that that the purpose of setting up this committee was to make sure that the wheat was also purchased from the small growers. The committee would submit its report within ten days. Sindh cabinet also discussed in detail Sindh Hazardous Occupation (Silicon) Rules, Saeed Ghani said.
