Punjab cabinet approves Local Government Act-2019

LAHORE: Punjab’s cabinet meeting here on Friday approved the Local Government Act-2019 and Water Act-2019.

The decisions were taken during a provincial cabinet meeting held today with Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar at his office in Lahore. Presiding over the meeting, CM Buzdar said that the government was committed to empower the local bodies of the province.

According to a statement issued from his office, under the Water Act-2019, a water resources commission would be established.

Punjab Witness Protection Act 2018 was also approved and a witness protection board would be constituted under this act, the statement said and added that meeting approved the release of Rs10 billion for the government guarantee and debt authority in favor of Punjab Thermal Power Pvt. Ltd.

Meanwhile, special audit reports 2016-17 of Auditor General of Pakistan about the Punjab government accounts were also presented before the cabinet, the statement said and added that after the approval of the cabinet, these reports would be presented before the Punjab Assembly.

The cabinet meeting approved the financing of population welfare program Punjab 2017-20 through public sector development program and funds were also approved for devolved vertical programs of health and population welfare sectors, read the statement.

The meeting approved to transfer land for 720-megawatt Karot Power Project and affairs pertaining to the royalty of liquid petroleum gas according to the market value of LPG was also approved.

The statement further said that the Punjab cabinet approved the establishment of the Punjab University of Technology at Rasool in Mandi Bahauddin.

The cabinet meeting accorded approval to appoint the new president of Bank of Punjab and an increase in salary of the engineering staff of the Irrigation Department was given the principle approval.

The meeting gave approval to 34-points agenda and minutes of 7th cabinet meeting were also endorsed along with the approval of decisions of 4th, 5th and 6th meetings of the provincial cabinet committee on finance.