MULTAN - Punjab Governor Malik Rafiq Rajwana has said that the nation needs to be united against corruption and develop Zarb-e-Azb like passion to uproot corruption, adding corruption badly harmed the foundations of the society.
Addressing a seminar on containment of corruption in public financial institutions here at Multan Arts Council on Thursday, the Governor said that the government has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption and it would leave no stone unturned to eliminate this menace from the society. “The public tax money, which should have been spent on the welfare of the people, is misappropriated by the corrupt elements. It is condemnable and these elements will face strict action,” he warned.
The Governor said that the NAB played an important role in containment of corruption in the society but the anti-corruption law need further improvement in view of changing demands of the time. He advised the people to stay contented with the money earned through legitimate resources as the individuals used to take wrong paths when their demands and desires exceeded their income.
He pointed out that exploitation of power is also an unlawful act and all state officials should use their powers while staying within the limits of the law. He said that the NAB was the institution that carried out the accountability of the rulers and officials. He claimed that the government saved Rs. 132 billion in construction of power generation plants through its efforts. He asked all government officials not to let even a single rupee from national exchequer go spoil.
DG NAB Multan Ateequr Rehman, Commissioner Bilal Butt, Deputy Commissioner Nadir Chattha and others were also present on this occasion.
Earlier, addressing the first meeting of Academic Council of Nishtar Medical University, the Governor hoped that the health sector would make considerable progress due to the grant of medical university status to the Nishtar College. He added that the residents of South Punjab would get good healthcare facilities after this development. He stressed upon the doctors to exhibit tolerance and focus on offering good healthcare service to the patients as it would decrease the number of complaints against them. “When a patient is brought to emergency ward, his relatives and attendants are in a state of shock and trauma. They require quick relief and the doctors need to exhibit maximum tolerance on this occasion to avoid any unhappy situation,” he noted. He said that we needed to promote merit policy and improve the condition of our institutions with collective efforts. He disclosed that the government kept healthcare sector on its priority and efforts were being made to set up a cardiology hospital in Dera Ghazi Khan.
Earlier, addressing the participants of a function, he said that the media was the fourth pillar of the state which played a key role in creating awareness among masses. “The media can put the country on path of progress by promoting positive thinking in the society,” he added. The Government pointed out that the dissemination of news got far more quicker than the past due to electronic media and now it was the responsibility of media to realise their social responsibility and avoid spreading such news which caused unrest in the society. “All news should be verified properly before their release,” he asserted.
He said that we all owed to this land and the best way for media to pay back to the society was to play its role in highlighting problems faced by the people. He assured the participants that the state institutions would make all out efforts for resolving the problems highlighted by the media. He said that positive criticism from the media would be welcomed.
He said that the government put special emphasis on development of South Punjab and mega projects in health and education fields were launched in this region. He said that engineering, agriculture, women and health universities as well as medical colleges were set up in different areas of South Punjab while the sub campuses of universities were set up at almost all district headquarter level. He asked media to make the masses aware of the positive developments in the society.
All set for Ramazan relief
The district government is going to set up 13 Ramazan Bazaars across the district on the direction of Provincial government and work on the project has begun to offer more than 17 daily-use items on cheaper rates. The district government sources said that work on installation of air-conditioned pandals for the bazaars has begun at Mumtazabad, Madni Chowk, Masoom Shah Road and Eidgah Chowk areas while the work in other areas as well as Shujabad, Jalalpur Pirwala and Qadirpur Rawan areas would begin very soon. Similarly, the Solid Waste Management Company launched a special operation for the levelling of the land at the sites proposed for Ramazan Bazaars as well as to lift debris from these spots. Sources said that edibles and other daily use items would be available at cheaper rates than the market at Ramazan Bazaars. Four of the total 13 bazaars will be air conditioned while separate counters for women will be available at all bazaars. Similarly, swings are also installed at the bazaars for the entertainment of kids. Sources said that the bazaars would have strong security, parking and washrooms.