Lahore, December 11, 2022 (PPI-OT): Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi presided over the 5th Provincial Cabinet meeting at CM office today in which a strong protest was made against the demeanour of the federal government for not signing an agreement with the Asian Development Bank over Greater Thal Canal Project. The Federal government demeanour was strongly condemned as well during the meeting. CM denounced that a surplus foreign exchange of one billion dollar is getting wasted from the national exchequer due to inefficiency of the federal government adding that in case of again making an agreement with the ADB the cost would increase more than two times.
The federal government by not making an agreement with the ADB not only did enmity with Punjab but also with the country. CM censured that the federal government is doing economic murder of the farmers of Punjab adding that the demeanour of the federal government equates to ruining the efforts to make Punjab a food basket. Had the Greater Thal Canal Project been in place then the farmers would have received surplus water and could become self-sufficient in wheat due to which wheat would not have been imported and one billion dollars could have been saved.
The federal government denied its share in the Greater Thal Canal Project. CM underscored that the Punjab government would go to the last limit to attain its due right adding that how come those ruining the country can sustain the sinking economy. During the Punjab Cabinet meeting the former decision to constitute a Joint Investigation Team under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 of section 19(1) about the Model Town tragedy was endorsed. A principle approval was accorded during the meeting for the fast track launching of waste to energy project to provide cheap electricity to industries.
The Chief Minister directed Local government, Energy and Industries department to collaborate in this regard. The cabinet also granted approval for grant in aid for the Journalists Housing Society Faisalabad and payment of outstanding dues to Justice Retd Shabbar Raza Rizvi in One Man Inquiry Tribunal. Approval was granted for the transfer of industrial and residential unit’s condonation fee which has been fixed at 50 percent along with fixing time period, automation of stamp duty, and lifting ban for making recruitments on new posts for E- Stamping and increasing the expenditure cost of PICIIP project in Sahiwal.
The decisions made during the first, second, third and fourth cabinet meetings were also endorsed during the meeting. 17 Provincial Ministers, Advisers, Special Assistants, Chief Secretary and senior officials attended the meeting. While Provincial Ministers Doctor Yasmeen Rashid, Murad Raas, Hussain Jahania Gardezi, Raja Yasir Humayun, Latif Nazir, Khayal Ahmad Kastro, Amir Saeed Rawn and others attended the meeting via video link.
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