KARACHI: The Sindh Cabinet has decided to procure 1.4 million tons of wheat for crop 2019-20 and constituted a cabinet committee to suggest support and evolve a procurement mechanism so that procurement from the genuine growers, particularly of the small ones, could be made.

The cabinet was informed that Sindh has a stock of 480 tons and 400,000 tons of wheat have been procured from PASCO. The chief minister said that this shows that the food department during the whole season has released 800,000 tons of wheat it had in its stocks and also exhaust its stock of 400,000 tons it has procured from the PASCO. In this way the department would have no wheat stocks after end of March to intervene in the market to stabilize the prices.

The cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here on Wednesday at New Sindh Secretariat. The cief secretary, all provincial ministers, advisors and chairperson P&D and other concerned officers attended the meeting.

Minister Food Hari Ram and Secretary Food Laiq Ahmed briefed the cabinet about the stock position and requsted the cabinet to set the procurement target and support price for crop 2019-20.

The cabinet was informed that the food department owed a Rs877 billion of the commercial banks, of which it has retired Rs13 billion and still owed Rs64 billion and would retire Rs8 billion by the end of March.
The cabinet was informed that it has a credit limit of Rs138 billion for procurement of the new crop. The chief minister directed the food department to work out a detailed plan so that it could retire all its loan it has taken for procurement of wheat.

It may be noted that the federal government has fixed minimum price of Rs1365 per 40 kg for procurement of wheat by PASCO. The chief minister assigned the task to his cabinet committee comprising Food Minister Hari Ram, Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Shah to suggest minimum wheat price for procurement of new crop and also suggest ways and means of procurement so that grower could be offered better prices by procuring wheat from genuine growers, particularly of the small ones. The committee would submit its report within next 10 days.

Posting of new IGP: The Chief minister taking the cabinet into confidence said that the prime minister office had approached him with the request to send them two more names for the appointment of new IG Police. Therefore, he has sent two more names of Sanaullah Abbasi and Inam Ghani. Earlier, he had sent a panel of three officers comprising, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, Mushtaq Maher and Kamran Fazal. Now, the Establishment Division has a panel of five officers and they would post one of them as new IG Police within next two days.

The cabinet observed that the IG Police has done character assassination of provincial ministers which was quite deplorable. It was also observed that a DIG issued a displeasure letter to a SSP and when IG police opted to work against the provincial government the said DIG issued appreciation letter to the same SSP who he had issues displeasure letter.

Provincial Information Minister talking to media disclosed that the provincial government would inform the federal government that the incumbent IG Police was not fit for holding the position of IG Police anywhere in Pakistan.

Master Plan Authority: The Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah and Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh presented an item to establish a new authority `Sindh  Urban and Regional Master Plan Authority’ which would be custodian of the master plan of Karachi and other cities of the province and make the master plans for the cities which have no master plan. The minister local government told the cabinet that the draft Bill of Sindh Urban and Regional Master Plan Authority has been prepared and sent to the law department for vetting.

The new authority would function separately as an autonomous body. The cabinet approved establishment of the authority and directed Local government to present the draft rules in the next meeting.

MVO: The Transport Minister, Syed Awais Shah and Secretary Abbas Thebo presented an amendment in the Motor Vehicle Ordinance (MVO) for operation of on Line public transport/Taxis and installation of tracker in motor cycles to stop their theft.

The transport department suggested 10 amendments in the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965 which include fitness certificate, route permit, Online Dispatch Plaform Company, use of vehicle only with permission and such others section have been inserted so that proper check, quality of vehicles and services and security of passengers could be ensured.
The cabinet approved the item.

The cabinet discussed the matter and observed that in the new motor cycles the manufacturers would install tracker but in the old bikes installation may become costly, therefore the cabinet constituted a committee under Minister Excise, Minister Labour and Minister Transport to review the proposed law for installation of tracker and submit their recommendations in the next cabinet meeting for discussion and approval.