KARACHI- The Sindh Cabinet appreciated the efforts of Sindh Energy Department for according approval of financial support to its 100MW power project which is being commissioned at its total estimated cost of Rs13.654 billion at Nooriabad. 
The cabinet meeting was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House here on Wednesday.
The cabinet after discussing in detail the subject to fix the support price of cotton and paddy crops, decided to form a high-level comprehensive committee to be headed by Sindh Agriculture Minister Ali Nawaz Maher. The committee would have two cabinet members and representatives from Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, Sindh Abadgar Board and other stakeholders from public and private sectors to find out ways and proper mechanism for fixing the prices of cotton and paddy crops and its enforcement. 
The members also took serious notice of illegal water hydrants running in the City. They asked the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to demolish these illegal water hydrants and prosecute the owners.
They also reviewed the overall drought situation in district Tharparkar and expressed satisfaction over free distribution of wheat to the affected people. The ministers of all the concerned departments were asked to put strict vigilance on the situation and ensure prompt response in case of any difficulty to the people. The Sindh Cabinet also asked the chief secretary and the provincial food secretary to ascertain the financial implications on the food department for procuring of wheat at increased subsidy of Rs50 per 40kg. It also asked to determine the sale price of wheat to the flour mills with reference to this increased subsidy this year.
Briefing the cabinet meeting, Advisor to CM on Finance and Energy, Murad Ali Shah said Sindh was the only province which was going to generate energy to meet the energy crises. He said a gas-based 100MW power project was being installed at Nooriabad at an estimated cost of Rs13.654 billion. He said in order to execute this power plant a company under the title of Sindh Nooriabad Power Company’ (SNPC) has been established in which a private investment company namely Technoman Kinetics has 51 per cent share and Sindh government has with 49 per cent to execute.
He informed the meeting that L-C has been opened for procurement of the machinery which would be made available within nine months whereas civil work has been started at the site. He said his management had applied for generation licenses for Nepra. “I hope that the licenses would be issued without difficulties which were created by the bureaucracy of federal government regarding the approval of gas supply agreement and issuance of LOI,” he added.
The Sindh agriculture minister tabled the proposal of fixing the support price of cotton and paddy crops to give incentives to the growers. Almost all the cabinet members took part in the deliberation on this issue and pointed out difficulties especially about the financial implications on the Sindh government.
Considering the socio-economic impact on the growers’ communities, the cabinet members decided to find out ways and means to support the growers in their professional miseries. They also decided to constitute a high-level and comprehensive committee headed by Ali Nawaz Maher with two other cabinet members’ representatives from the public-private stakeholders’ organisations, technocrats and economic experts to fix the support prices of cotton and paddy crops.