Subsidy on wheat procurement in Punjab only, says minister

LAHORE:The Punjab government could provide subsidy on wheat procurement only for the province while other provinces’ subsidy issues should be taken up with the federal government.

Clarification on responsibilities of a province and distribution of resources were made clear after the 18th Amendment of the Constitution, said Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht while chairing 66th meeting of the Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development at the Chief Minister's Secretariat here Wednesday.

Other participants in the meeting included Adviser to the Chief Minister on Economic Affairs Dr Salman Shah, Secretary Finance Abdullah Sanbal, Secretary Planning and Development Mujahid Sher Dal and secretaries of relevant departments.

He instructed the Food, Agriculture and Finance Departments to make recommendations after legal consultation with the law department on the disbursement of resources and subsidies. He observed that the federal government should ensure allocation of the resources and shares of the provinces in the subsidy paid to farmers on fertilizers by the provinces to increase production. Twenty-one recommendations were tabled by various departments at the meeting mainly related to renaming and extension of scope of schemes included in the annual development programme. The Department of Special Education has provided free textbooks to special children, subsidy to increase wheat production, construction of Judicial Complex Depalpur, repair of Punjab House Karachi and various schemes of Department of School Education, Local Government and Communicators and Works were presented.

The meeting approved more than 17 recommendations to include them in the annual development programme. Rescue 1122's recommendations to increase the funding of the scheme were included in the annual development programme whereas to change the scheme of the Primary and Secondary Health department was postponed for further clarification.

The meeting also called for departmental measures to improve the architecture of public sector buildings under the Communications and Works Department and stressed the need for administrative reforms for better education and training of special children. The minister said the Punjab government was ready to provide all possible assistance to the institutions to highlight special talents of special children.

Kitchen gardening: Provincial Minister for Agriculture Hussain Jahanian Gardezi has said that kitchen gardening is an important need of the hour for good health and clean environment. He was addressing an awareness seminar on “Kitchen Gardening” at Punjab University Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. Dean Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Haider, Dr Mateen Sarwar, Dr Tariq, CEO Green Circle Pakistan Sajid Iqbal, faculty members and a large number of students attended the event.

In his address, Hussain Jahanian Gardezi said that students should play their role in providing awareness about kitchen gardening to get healthy vegetables in low budget. He said that agriculture sector had been ignored in the past and due to which the farmers faced difficulties. The measures taken by the present government have improved the farmers’ economic condition, he added. He said that the price of DAP is determined according to the international market and the crushing season will start on time. He said that used tea leaves can also be used as fertiliser in kitchen gardening.