'Medical college for labourers' children approved'

LAHORE Punjab Minister Labour and Human Resources Ashraf Sohna has said a medical college for children of labourers and industrial workers will be set up in the province, and 50 percent quota of the seats will be allocated for these children, while the Department will bear their expenses. The Minister was responding queries during the Question-Hour here on Friday about his Department, while Parliamentary Secretary Tourism Rana Muhammad Arshad had his bad day at the Punjab Assembly, when he not only fumbled and retreated from his statements besides giving unsatisfactory answers to the members. By doing this, actually he had kept the Treasurys tradition of having poor Question-Hour at the Assembly since the Ministers have always been ill-prepared for all these sessions. Ashraf Sohna said the Department was planning to establish schools in every Tehsil to facilitate labourers children. He also mentioned that children of areas having no Labour Department schools, were receiving education from other schools, while the Department was paying expenses. He also said the Legal Aid Unit of the Labour Department received a total of 164 applications against violation of child labour, out of which 153 were dealt accordingly. The Department is taking effective measures to educate the workers children. Moreover, the government is causing awareness among the masses about child labour, he added. While responding to questions regarding Tourism Department, Rana Arshad said the Tourism Development Corporation Punjab (TDCP) had set up its counters at two main airports of the province to guide the foreign and local tourists. He also told the House that the TDCP owned only one van, and was not controlling any bus stand. Later, while speaking on an Adjournment Motion JUI-F Parliamentary Leader Ali Haider Noor Khan Niazi, said CM had said in 1998, the last government of Shahbaz Sharif, in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, started the Mass Transit Project, but later, every thing was finished during Musharrafs rule. However, the previous government reinitiated this project in 2005 and allocated Rs 800 million for this, and out of which half of the amount was embezzled and the culprits had fled from Pakistan, he said. In his reply, Shahbaz Sharif said the present government after hectic efforts, arrested the persons, who had plundered the projects money. While responding to an Adjournment Motion of the Opposition members, Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah told the House that 23 CNG buses, imported from China, were plying on different routes of the city, and more buses would be given to other districts as well. MPA Sheikh Ala-ud-Din walked out from the Floor objecting to the Speaker for not paying attention to his Adjournment Motion about spinsters. However, on the direction of the Speaker, Mian Naseer Ahmed brought the Sheikh back and in consent with the mover, the Chair pended the motion till Tuesday next. Meanwhile, Mian Naseer Ahmed called for restoration of Rescue-15 call service to its previous level, which could be reactivated with an estimated cost of Rs 2.2 million. The Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal directed the Law Minister to look into this matter. Later, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings for February 15 (Monday) 3pm.

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