FAISALABAD, May 7: A sum of Rs6 billion will be allocated for the education sector in the next financial budget for setting up more schools and colleges besides providing a financial relief to the teaching community.

This was stated by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi while speaking at a workers convention held here on Wednesday. He said all resources were being utilized to promote education and increase the literacy rate.

He said teachers would be given due respect in society, and the vacant posts would be filled soon through a proper channel.

The chief minister said the government was committed to change the socio-economic culture of the country as well as to resolve the people’s problems at their doorsteps.

He said the PML-Q central leadership had decided to reorganize the party at union, tehsil and district levels for which a special campaign would be launched in near future.

He said all provincial ministers had been asked to hold open courts and regularly conduct meetings at the Muslim League House for the resolution of problems being faced by party activists and leaders.

Pervaiz Elahi claimed that district and tehsil Nazims had also been directed to give priority to the suggestions of PML-Q activists and office-holders. “Nazims will be made duty bound to hold open kutcheries in their respective offices once a week to resolve people’s problems,” he said.

He said the local body system and the provincial and national assemblies were part of a system and members of both the forums would have to work jointly for the progress of the country.

The chief minister said the government would purchase all wheat stocks from farmers at the subsidized rate. Special instructions had been issued to food officials and the other functionaries concerned for providing maximum help to the growers of cash crops, he said.

He said a plan was being introduced for the rehabilitation of sick industrial units and elimination of impediments to setting up new factories.

Earlier, the chief minister presided over a meeting of local administrative officers which was also attended by members of the national and provincial assemblies.

He said development funds would be spent without any discrimination in all constituencies, and the schemes presented by opposition members would be given due consideration.

He directed police and administrative officers to make efforts for the implementation of the Police Order, 2002, in its true spirit.

He asked the government officials to perform their duties with dedication otherwise they would have to face a disciplinary action. He also directed the heads of government departments to pay attention to the visit of PML-Q leaders to their respective offices.

Meanwhile, the chief minister nominated Raza Nasrullah Ghuman, a PPP Parliamentarians’ dissident, for the vacant post of district Naib Nazim.

The post has been lying vacant since the selection of Afzal Sahi as Punjab Assembly speaker.