KARACHI   -  The Sindh cabinet approved the implementation of the Sindh Defined Contributory Pension Scheme 2024 starting from 1st July 2024 under which the government and employees will contribute at a provisional rate of 12 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. The meeting was held at CM House and was attended by provincial ministers, advisors, chief secretary, and concerned officers.

During the over five-hour-long provincial cabinet meeting, several important decisions were made, including the introduction of the Sindh Defined Contributory Pension Scheme 2024. This scheme will commence from 1st July 2024, and both the government and employees will contribute at a provisional rate of 12 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

The cabinet approved the insertion of a new subsection in Section of the Sindh Civil Servant Act 1973.

According to the proposed amendment, “an individual who is appointed or regularized as a civil servant on or after the commencement of the Sindh Civil Servant (Amendment) Act, 2024, will be considered a civil servant, except for pension and gratuity.

Instead, they will participate in a Defined Contribution Pension Scheme as prescribed. In place of pension and gratuity, the civil servant will be entitled to receive the amount contributed by them, along with the contributions made by the government to their account in the mentioned Fund, in the prescribed manner.

In the unfortunate event of the civil servant’s death, their family will receive the amount from the Contribution Pension Fund, as prescribed in the Defined Contribution Pension Rules to be framed by the government. The cabinet allowed the laying of the proposed amendment in the Sindh Civil Servant Act 1973 before the Provincial Assembly.

The Sindh cabinet in the light of Sindh High Court Circuit Mirpurkhas decided to declare Karoonjhar Moutain/Range comprising 21,000 acres as a protected Heritage and directed the Culture department to notify the official gazette.

The Livestock & Fisheries dept told the cabinet that Fisheries play a vital role in contributing to food security, bringing economic opportunities and providing a significant share of livelihood. However, overfishing, destructive fishing techniques and the use of prohibited nets have contributed to the deterioration of economically important fish stocks.

It was pointed out that Bottom Trawling was the main root cause of destruction of biodiversity and narine resources. Consequently, the marine resources of the country are facing massive pressure and need sustainable enforcement measures in the preservation of fish stock.

The Sindh cabinet approved the issuance of the Benazir Hari card to the Haris having a maximum of 25 acres of land. Various kinds of subsidies, facilities, relief, and distribution of Bardana for wheat procurement and other government interventions aimed at farmers/tentants and landholders of agricultural land may be provided through Benazir Hari Card holders.

Bottom trawling is an indiscriminate fishing method as dragging the large, weighted nets sweeps away everything from the seafloor and in the process a large quantity of by-catch, non-targeted species are trapped. It also destroys the natural seafloor habitats and affects all bottom-dwelling biomass including plants and animals. Bottom trawling has a detrimental effect on sea life and marine ecosystems.

The cabinet approved the amendment in the Fisheries Rules 1983 under which no person would be allowed to fish with an encircling net or improvised purse seine net locally called “wire net” or ring net and bottom trawl net locally called “trawls” or “Gujja”, Gujjo or Gujji in the creek areas of the province and up to twelve nautical miles from the shore along the coast and territorial waters of Sindh.

The Agriculture Dept told the cabinet that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had approved a Cash Freight Support of Rs 10.70 per kg for sugar export in September 2017. This support was to be shared equally by the provincial and federal governments, and the provincial share was to be paid to Sugar Mills through the State Bank. Additionally, the Sindh government announced an extra cash freight of Rs. 9.30 per kg on sugar export.

However, the payment to Sugar Mills was halted by federal govt institutions. After the High Court of Sindh, Karachi issued directions for the release of outstanding amounts to the Sugar Mills. The cabinet approved the release of Rs 3.3 billion to the State Bank for further distribution to the relevant sugar mills as 50 per cent of Cash Freight Support at Rs 10.70 per kg.

Furthermore, the cabinet also sanctioned Rs. 281,966,700 for further disbursement of payments through Sindh Bank to the concerned Sugar Mills on account of Additional Cash Freight Support at Rs 9.30 per kg.

The State Bank of Pakistan and the Cane Commissioner of Sindh will be responsible for disbursing the released amounts to the concerned Sugar Mills after reconciliation, and proper verification of claims, the cabinet said.

The Sindh cabinet approved Rs434.109 million to operationalise the Islamkot Mega RO plant of 1.5 MGD in District Tharparkar. The Chief Minister directed the Public Health Engineering Department to expedite the rehabilitation of the RO plant within the next three months for the benefit of the local population.

The cabinet after discussion approved the formation of “Sindh IT Company to start the journey towards Digital Sindh.

The School education department told the cabinet that the teachers of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and Basic Education Community Schools (BECS) 5,019 teachers were still drawing an honoraria of Rs25,000 per month.

The NCHID and BECS teachers were handed to the Sindh government in August 2022.  Their services were engaged on 11th August 2022 with the School Education and Literacy Department on fixed terms and conditions such as fixed Remuneration of Rs. 25,000 per month with a 5 per cent annual increase till they attain the age of 55 years.

The cabinet after thorough discussion approved a grant of Rs37,000 remuneration per month to the NCHD and BECS teachers and it would be an additional burden of Rs539.542 million on the exchequer.

The cabinet endorsed the decision to hand over Cadet College Kakar, District Dadu to the Pakistan Navy along with approval for establishing a Board of Governors. The cabinet also approved a grant of Rs. 250 million for completing the remaining components of Cadet College Kakar.

The cabinet directed the College education department to start the admissions in the Cadet College and start its functioning. It may be noted that Cadet College, Kakar has been established over an area of 104.22 acres.

The Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department (ET&NCD) told the cabinet to establish a comprehensive legal framework to regulate and combat narcotics. It plans to control the production, processing, and trafficking of narcotics by proposing to introduce stringent laws and regulations.

The cabinet was told that there were 46 Excise Police Stations, including six in Karachi. The Narcotics Control has a sanctioned strength of 333, of them only current 27 were working. It has registered 791 FIRs during the last five years. The cabinet was told that there was no CRO (Criminal Record Office) system in the Department, and an end-to-end system was to be developed for FIRs to convictions.

The Sindh cabinet approved shifting of administrative control of the Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (SIPM&R) from the Health Department to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) because the Sindh Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SEPD) Act 2018 gives an exclusive mandate to the DEPD to protect all rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The cabinet approved an amendment in the SIPM&R Act 2019 and referred to the assembly for enactment.

Sindh cabinet approved the grant of charter to Denning Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (DIET) and referred it to the assembly for enactment.  

The Cabinet approved the re-appointment of Mr. Justice (R) Shahnawaz Tariq as Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace for the third consecutive term (four years) from 06-04-2025 to 05-04-2029.

The cabinet approved seven years imprisonment for Cultivation Prohibition and 10 years and above imprisonment and Rs1 million fine for manufacturing/operating premises and three years imprisonment and Rs1 million fine for possession for Prohibition & Possession of Narcotics Drugs. The proposal was referred to the Assembly for enactment.