Punjab CM distributes 208 flats among industrial workers.

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday inaugurated a labour colony by distributing allotment letters of 208 flats among industrial workers in Warburton area of Nankana Sahib, besides launching Sehat Insaf Cards in the area.

Speaking on the occasion, Buzdar said 70 acres of land had been allocated for Baba Guru Nanak University in Nankana Sahib, adding that the district jail, police lines, NADRA office and a new land record centre would also be set up in the district.

He said labour colonies would be constructed in every district, and allotment of 1,189 flats of labour colonies of Lahore and Multan would be started soon. He asserted that the second phase of Warburton labourers' flats would be started along with construction of 50-bed social security hospitals in Sargodha, DG Khan and Rahim Yar Khan. He mentioned that minimum monthly wages for unskilled and skilled workers were being fixed at Rs 16,500 and Rs 17,000 to Rs 19,000, respectively.

Referring to the labourers, Buzdar said those who built others' houses yearned for their own shelter, and in fact the common man had for the last 70 years been ignored and deceived in the name of food, clothing and shelter, but this common man was the pivot of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) policies.

"Today, we have fulfilled the promise of providing flats to workers, and 1,397 flats are being allotted initially, while more labour colonies will be constructed in the province by the Punjab Workers Welfare board," he added.

He said the social security hospitals would be transformed into centres of excellence in phases, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had been signed with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre to start a Health Management Information System at those hospitals. He said the Gynae Ward of the Social Security Hospital, Kot Lakhpat, Lahore, would be upgraded.

The chief minister also announced that marriage grant for labourers; children would be enhanced from Rs 100,000 to Rs 150,000, and death grant from Rs 500,000 to Rs 600,000.Instead of providing stationery items, uniform, and shoes etc to students enrolled in 65 labourers' schools, the parents of such students would be given money through smart cards, he added.

He said a comprehensive Punjab Labour Policy-2018 had been approved by provincial cabinet and necessary amendments were also being made to labour laws to facilitate the workers. He said domestic servants had been...