Sindh cabinet approves Rs521 m for Peoples bus, decides to launch Kissan card
Imran
KARACHI Sindh Chief
Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over a cabinet meeting approved Rs521
million for fuel indexation of Intra-district Bus Service and Rs.5.027 million
grant JS Academy for the Deaf and decided to launch Kissan Card to support
peasants.
Chairman Peoples Party
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has given clear instructions for the issuance of Kissan
cards and preparing a plan to carry out development initiatives in every
district. “I want to constitute a committee to implement the Election Manifesto
of the party so that all the 10 points as announced by the chairman can be
implemented in true letter and spirit,” he said.
The cabinet meeting was
held at CM House and was attended by provincial ministers – Sharjeel Memon, Dr
Azra Pechuho, Nasir Shah, Sardar Shah, Zulfiqar Shah, Jam Khan Shoro, Ali
Hassan Zardari, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, advisors Babl Khan Bhayo, Ahsan mazari, Najmi
Alam - Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, PSCM Agha Wasif, Chairman P&D
Shakil Manejo, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi and other concerned officers.
Intra-district Peoples
Bus: Senior Minister for Information Sharjeel Memon briefing the cabinet said
that the project to supply, operate and maintenance for the Sindh
Intra-District People’s Bus Service was awarded to National Radio Transit
Authority (NRDC) in October 2021 for a term of 12 years – up to Oct 2033.
The NRTC supplied 250
buses of them 230 are operational and an additional 40 buses have also been
added to the fleet, apart from bringing the remaining 30 buses of the initial
lot of 250.
Mr Sharjeel told the
cabinet that the project was a G2G initiative between the Sindh government and
NRTC. He added that it was the first ever Intra City Public Transport Project
operating in Mixed Traffic, particularly in Karachi and other cities of the province
such as Larkana, Hyderabad and Sukkur. He added that the Transport department
was responsible for the provision of Depots, Routes, Land spaces for Bus
Stations free of all encumbrances, provision of utilities at depots and Bus
Stations, and payment of busses including taxes and duties. The NRTC was
responsible for the procurement, operation, and maintenance of buses and the
construction and upgradation of depots and bus stations.
He said that the NRTC has
requested the SMTA for the release of payment of fuel indexations from January
to June 24. As per practice, the Independent Expert(s) third-party consultants
were assigned to determine, analyze and forecast the Fuel Indexation. The
Independent Expert(s) submitted the forecasted budget of Rs820. 996 million for
the period Jan to Jun, 2024.
The fuel indexation
payments are actualized every month, under the Contract, after due validation
by the IE and SMTA.
The cabinet was told that
to ensure the smooth operations of the PBS, Rs. 820. 996 million were required
from Jan-Jun 2024. Mr Sharjeel said that Rs. 300 million, already kept in the
account as Grant-in Aid for Fuel Indexation (One time) during the current
financial year 2023-24, may be released and the remaining amount of Rs. 521
million may be released for the Project to cover fuel indexation for the period
Jan-Jun 2024. The cabinet approved the amount of Rs521 million for the purpose.
Grant: The CM was told
that the JS Academy provides empowerment initiatives completely free of cost
education from early Child Education to postgraduate level to deaf students.
The Courses/Training
provides Sign Language, Audiometry, Computer Skill training, Music Classes,
Arts Classes, Physical Health Care, Mental Health Care, Occupational, Physical
Education Activities, Social Skills, Pick & drop, Services for Deaf Students,
Counseling & Guidance Service, Library Access, Secretary DEPD Tuaha Farooqi
told the cabinet.
The JS Academy is
registered by the School Education and Literacy, College Education Departments
and the Board of Intermediate Secondary Education, Karachi. Currently, it has
an enrollment of 152, including 81 Boys and 71 Girls Deaf students. The academy
has also a Staff of 24 (6 Male and 18 Female) personnel.
The academy has a
shortfall of Rs.10.747 million per annum. The DEPD requested the chief minister
to approve a Rs.5.027 million Grant in Aid for JS Academy for the Deaf as a
six-month shortfall of the current financial year 2023-24. The CM said that the
DEPD has a budgeted allocation of Rs.1000 million kept for giving grants to
such institutions run by the Trusts. The cabinet approved the grant of Rs5.027
million for JS Academy.
Kissan card: Chief
Minister Murad Ali Shah said that Kissan Cards would be issued to farmers
benefiting from various government programmes. He added that it aimed at
consolidating the recipient’s information for transparent and efficient
implementation of these interventions.
Mr Shah said that his
government would develop a digital platform and provide all district
administrations with user logins to enter details of farmers in their
jurisdictions. The information added to the system would pertain to
demographics, contact details, crops and landholding patterns, livestock,
irrigation system and mechanization.
Murad Shah said that this
initiative would result in an appropriate allocation of schemes to the right
farmers, ease in broadcasting messages to the larger masses and the creation of
a centralized database.
He said that the Kissan
card holders would be given preference in the procurement of wheat and held in
case of natural disasters. Mr Shah constituted a committee with the Minister of
Irrigation, SMBR, and Secretary of Agriculture to start developing data and
submit their recommendations.
It was also discussed and
agreed that a farmer possessing up to 12 acres of land and cultivating
him/herself would qualify for the Kissan Card for which a survey and
registration work would be started within a week so that the card could be
issued within six months.
