Sindh cabinet approves bill aimed at protecting women from harassment at workplace

KARACHI: Sindh cabinet on Tuesday approved the ‘Sindh Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2018’ and directed the CM’s adviser on law to go through its clauses and send it to the assembly for approval, ARY News reported.

The purpose of the bill, presented by Women Development Department, is to make provision for the protection against harassment of women at their respective workplaces and address their issues through legal framework.

Secretary Women Development department Baqaullah Unar gave a presentation to the cabinet and apprised the CM and participants about the salient features of the act.

The meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approved poverty reduction strategy of Rs72.5 billion under which interventions would be made in education, health, water and sanitation and development t of internal village roads.

The planning & development department with the assistance of EU after a hectic and two-year long survey and study has prepared a poverty reduction strategy under which rural and urban poverty would be reduced by making necessary interventions by upgrading villages.

The villages would be given internal roads, water supply and drainage schemes, health facilities, vocational training and top of it a holistic approach would be made to improve quality of educational.

The chief minister said that the programme would be started all over Sindh and rural and urban poverty would be reduced by investing Rs72.5 billion during the next five years. This would be in additional to the already launched poverty reduction prorammes and initiatives.

The cabinet was told that with the assistance of the German Development Bank four state of art regional blood centers (RBCs) have been constructed at Sukkur, Jamshoro, Shaheed Benazirabad and Karachi.

Minister Health Dr Azra Pechuho told that the health department has no prior experience of managing the sophisticated blood centers, therefore they may be contracted out to experienced private sector organization under PPP mode.

The cabinet after receiving proper presentation by the health department approved to contract out RBC Jamshoro to Indus Hospital, RBC Sukkur to Sukkur Blood and Drug Donating Society, RBC Shaheedabad to Fatmid Foundation and RBC Karachi to Ziaudding Hospital.

The Sindh CM also took serious notice of usage of government number plates on private vehicles ordered a drive against the culprits.

He said that he has seen that some people are using fake government number plates on their private vehicles, unregistered vehicles and vehicles taken from Nazarat. “This unacceptable and ordered Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla to launch special campaign them and report him.

The Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA) proposed some 30 amendments in their rules. The chief minister constituted a committee under Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab with secretary GA and other secretary as members to review the amendments and then bring them back in the next cabinet meeting.