Lahore - Khadims and Leaders of the recent past made tall claims about bringing about change, but forgot that change lies in a strong national economy and institutions rather than buildings, roads and flyovers.

Can plunder of national resources and embezzlement of billions of rupees from taxpayers’ money reserved for development schemes or people’s welfare bring about change? One year has passed since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rose to power in August 2018. If we do a comparative analysis of the tenure of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, it will reveal the Punjab government has served people of the province magnificently under Buzdar’s dynamic leadership.

After taking oath, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Pakistan would be put on the road to progress and institutions would be made autonomous. The Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has taken a number of steps for social uplift of people of the province. These initiatives have been praised at national and international level and restored people’s confidence in the political system. If we look at projects of the health department alone, it has launched public welfare projects in large numbers. We will find same zeal and determination if we discuss the second important department of the Punjab government, which is labour & human resource.

Likewise, the health department has taken a number of initiatives under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar. The initiatives focus on new laws under new Labour Policy, amendment to PESSI Ordinance, Punjab Occupational Safety and Health Act 2019, Punjab Domestic Worker Acts 2019 and Punjab Minimum Wages Act 2018 to give financial representation to people by ensuring minimum salary of Rs16500.

Awareness campaign about registration of domestic workers and their owners, legislation for provision of Workers Welfare Funds, legislation for welfare of company workers, new package for industrial workers, three times increase in marriage grant for children of government employees, free education and stipend, Rs50,000 funeral grant for family members of deceased government employees and increase in widows monthly grant from Rs5000 to Rs20,000 for lifetime, allotment of labour colonies which remained pending from 2012, completion of three colonies in Multan and Lahore, recruitment of 700 vacant posts on merit, promotion of 208 Primary Level Teachers, provision of Sehat Insaf Card to the retired government personnel due to the amendment made in the PESSI laws, upgrade of all Social Security Hospitals, setting up new Social Security Hospitals in RY Khan, Sargodha and DG Kahn and registration of Business Centres & Institutes are some of the other initiatives.

If we honestly analyze these initiatives of the Punjab government, the developments we are seeing were not possible in a short span of one year. It is quite obvious the Punjab government under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar is utilizing all its energies for providing relief to people of the province.

The writer is information officer at DGPR.