Pakistan is currently in the major infrastructural development phase in which massive projects worth billions of rupees have already been approved and started. Some of these upcoming developments focus on infrastructural development while some concentrate on efforts to curb poverty and provide people with means to contribute to their monthly household income. The provincial governments have also launched different initiatives to facilitate underprivileged members of society. In this blog, we have covered some of the projects that have been recently reviewed by the Chief Minister of Punjab in a meeting with the Labour Department.
Punjab Government Facilitating Workers Through Labour Department
Initiatives like Ehsaas Programme aim to reduce poverty in Pakistan and make people from different socio-economic classes able to provide for their families and contribute towards the economic development of the country. Realizing the potential of labourers, workers, farmers and many other people working in different professions, federal as well as provincial governments are trying to facilitate them through different projects.
The chief minister in his meeting with the Labour Department has directed to turn Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) and Punjab Workers Welfare Funds (PWWF) into smart organizations. The construction of a Labour Tower, under the supervision of the Labour Department, was also discussed in addition to the following initiatives.
Free Of Cost Education
Education is the fundamental right of every child and plays an important role in every individual’s personality grooming. The literacy rate plays an integral part in nurturing the talent that can contribute to the development of the country’s economy.
The meeting discussed the development of an educational facility on the land that will be provided by the Labour Department in DHA Lahore. One of the country’s renowned educational institutions, COMSATS, will establish a campaus on government-owned land where 30% of the strength will consist of children of labourers and workers who will get free education.
Health Facilities
Access to health services is another basic right of every human. While these public health facilities have been established in different parts of the province, public hospitals in Lahore are some of the country’s best healthcare facilities that have modern equipment used for treatment.
There are many Social Security Hospitals in Lahore and other areas of the Punjab province where people are treated free of charge. More such Social Security Hospitals are being constructed in other metropolitans of the province to facilitate all the people from tribal areas who have to travel long distances for quality health services. The government has established a cardiology department in Khawaja Farid Social Security Hospital in Multan especially for labourers and workers where they can get treatment for cardiovascular diseases.
More Social Security Hospitals are also being constructed in Taunsa, Sargodha and Faisalabad to facilitate people residing in close vicinity to these cities. The meeting also reviewed a proposal for establishing PESSI Medical College and Nursing Institute.
Minimum Wage Of Labourers & Monetary Grants
The provincial government has set the minimum wage rate of labourers and low-wage workers at PKR 20,000 per month which is also higher than other provinces of the country. During the tenure of the incumbent government, the labourers and workers have been facilitated with an increase in wages and grants offered to them by the provincial government.
The marriage grant for labourers has been increased by 100 per cent that was previously set at PKR 100,000. The death grant for the workers was set at PKR 500,000 and has been increased to PKR 600,000 that is given by Punjab Workers Welfare Fund (PWWF). The department also has talent scholarships for which the criteria is given on the website of Punjab Workers Welfare Fund (PWWF).
Housing Facility
It is the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to build houses for those who can not afford to build or buy their own homes in cities. For this purpose, under the banner of the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, the Punjab Government has launched Punjab Peri-urban Low-cost Housing Scheme in different cities where residential units will be built and given to low-income workers at subsidized rates. These low-cost housing projects have been initiated in different parts of Punjab including Lahore, Sargodha, and Nowshera. The chief minister directed the meeting to complete development works on flats being built for workers and labourers at the earliest.
For the low-cost peri-urban scheme by Punjab Government, the federal government has provided a subsidy of PKR 300,000. The size of the houses will be 3 marlas that will be mortgaged at a subsidized interest rate by the Bank of Punjab.
So, this is all we have on the initiatives of the Government of Punjab to facilitate its salaried and low-income citizens. For more updates on government initiatives and low-cost housing projects, stay tuned to Zameen Blog. You can also share your thoughts with us at blog@zameen.com.
