LAHORE, April 12: The Punjab government has constituted a six-member committee for reforming the Punjab Social Security Institute and reviewing the labour laws.

The committee will recommend changes in the labour laws in order to facilitate industrial growth in the province.

The committee was formed at a meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on Saturday.

The committee will have industries minister Ajmal Cheema, labour minister Akhtar Husain Rizvi, adviser to the chief minister Jehangir Tareen, and the provincial secretaries of the law, finance and industries departments.

Speaking at the meeting, the chief minister said undue intervention of the government departments was causing obstacles in the way of industrialization in the province. He said the discretionary powers of labour inspectors would be abolished in order to facilitate the private sector.

He directed the labour department and the PESSI to provide jobs to the educated and skilled people.

He said the federal government would be consulted on how to increase the resources of the Punjab Workers Welfare Board for the construction of labour colonies, hospitals and schools for workers according to their needs and requirements. He also called for launching health insurance schemes for the working classes.

The chief minister also directed the officials concerned to reorganize the labour department and the PESSI so that they could play an effective role in the providing proper and adequate facilities to the workers.