OUR STAFF REPORTER
LAHORE
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar Friday chaired the ceremony of signing an agreement of Punjab Rozgar Scheme at his office.
President of The Bank of Punjab (BoP), Zafar Masood and MD Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC), Jamil Ahmed Jamil signed the agreement.
Provincial Ministers Hashim Jawan Bakht, Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan, ACS (Local Govt), Secretary Finance and Secretary Information were also present.
Talking on the occasion, the CM stated that more than 1.6m needy people will get jobs through this laragest employment scheme worth Rs30 billion.
Under the agreement, Punjab Bank will provide soft loans to successful applicants. This scheme will make the youth economically self-reliant and the owners of small and medium scale industries, as well as the traders facing financial crunch due to corona pandemic, will be able to develop their businesses, he added. Giving the details, the CM said loans from one lakh rupees to 10 million rupees will be offered to 20 to 50 years old applicants at the very minimal interest rate. Small loans will be provided for 339 sub-sectors of 23 assorted sectors, including 26 sub-sectors of the textile industry. This scheme will promote cottage industry, he added.
The government plans to transform individual skills as an investment and this scheme will prove a gamechanger initiative in this regard, he added. The CM was briefed that 9,428 persons have applied for loans; required fee is not deposited with 6,138 applications while 3,035 applications are submitted along-with fee and PSIC has processed 1,619 applications.
CM takes notice of firing at qawwal Sher Miandad
Buzdar has taken notice of firing at famous qawwal Sher Miandad during dacoity in Faisalabad and sought a report from the RPO along-with early arrest of the accused.
He also asked the administration to provide best treatment facilities to the injured Sher Miandad.
Meanwhile, Buzdar has said celebrations of the blissful birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) will be celebrated with full religious fervour and zeal.
Seerat conferences and special programmes will be held on 12th Rabi-ul-Awal to be attended by the CM and parliamentarians, he added.
Total elimination of polio priority agenda of government
Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has said total elimination of polio disease is a priority agenda of the government.
In his message, the CM maintained all-out resources are utilized to give a healthy future to the children.
The Health Department, as well as the administration, is activated to overcome polio disease and I am personally monitoring steps taken in this regard, he added. The Punjab government has devised anti-polio SOPs in the light of WHO guidelines and monitoring of observance of these SOPs is carried out as well, he added. The CM appealed to the parents to administer anti-polio drops to their children to save them from this disease.
The society is also duty-bound to play its role for a polio-free Pakistan because the anti-polio drive is aimed at saving the future of the children, concluded the CM.
