LAHORE – The Punjab cabinet has approved a number of laws and policies forpeople’s welfare under the 100-day reforms plan of the provincialgovernment.
The legislations included Punjab Industrial Policy, Establishment of PunjabSkills Development Authority (PSDA), Punjab Labour Policy, OccupationalSafety and Health Act 2018, Domestic Workers Act 2018 and PunjabAgriculture Policy, said a handout, issued here on Sunday.
The Punjab Industrial Policy includes measures for facilitating privatesector investment growth by providing an enabling eco-system, boostingproductivity and competitiveness to drive up exports and compete withimported goods, ensuring level playing field for domestic and foreignplayers across sectors, creating attractive job opportunities for Punjab’srapidly growing labour force and placing special focus on disenfranchisedsegments of society — impoverished districts, women and the disabled people.
Establishment of the Punjab Skills Development Authority will help inimplementing policies and standards established by National Vocational andTechnical Training Commission (NAVTTC), register and regulate public andprivate TVET institutes and assessment agencies.
It will also regulate the enforcement of apprenticeship regime, devise andenforce a mechanism of monitoring and inspection of TVET service providersand assessment agencies for ensuring compliance to the national and/orprovincial standards and encourage TVET institutes to develop coursesaccording to territorial needs in conformity with the national standards.
The Punjab Labour Policy 2018 has been formulated to focus on labourrights, guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan, Labour Laws and ILOConventions. The special focus in the policy is on Occupational Safety andHealth, Minimum Wage, Freedom of Association and Elimination of ChildLabour, extension of Labour laws to the informal sector and reinvigorationof Labour inspection regime.
By promulgating the Domestic Workers law, the most neglected strata ofinformal sector of the society will get an identity of a ‘worker’ and aforum to resolve their issues. The promulgation of Occupational Safetyand Health Act 2018 will secure workers by minimising the hazards or risksthat may negatively impact their health, safety or well-being at theirworkplaces.
Read Top Stories
Under the Agriculture Policy, Government of Punjab stipulates specificmeasures in the immediate future articulated in the 100 days agenda of thegovernment.
The new agriculture policy promotes inclusive growth among all stakeholderswith a specific focus on women and rural youth.
It includes measures to increase farmer profitability, reduce the cost ofinputs for farmers, introduce regenerative agriculture and weed management,encourage crop diversification to improve crop-mix and optimize subsidyprograms through targeting and ICT technologies among other steps.
The passage of all these policies points towards the fact that the Punjabgovernment is well on its way to achieving its 100 days reform agenda inthe province. – APP
