By Qasim Ali
LAHORE:Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired the 30th meeting of the provincial cabinet which took several administrative, legislative, and development decisions.The cabinet rejected the proposal to increase fares of electric buses in Multan, Rawalpindi, and Lahore, and formally ratified the ban on the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).It approved the recruitment of School Teacher Interns in government schools and gave consent to the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance 2025, in line with the Chief Minister’s vision that “one who possesses it, owns it.”
The meeting approved a subsidy program under the Chief Minister High-Tech Farm Mechanization Finance Program, through which super seeders and other modern equipment will be provided at a 60 per cent subsidy. More than 10,000 applications have been received so far, while 1,500 applications have been processed through the Bank of Punjab. Under Kisan Card Phase-II, Rs 100 billion has been disbursed and Rs 70 billion recovered from the previous phase. It was informed that loans repaid under the Kisan Card are refreshed within 24 hours for the next phase.The meeting approved the launch of the sugarcane crushing season from November 15, and reviewed the availability and prices of DAP and urea fertilizers. The chief minister observed that Punjab’s agriculture sector had suffered in the past due to neglect of farm mechanization.
