LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday promulgated two ordinances, establishing the Punjab Social Protection Authority for the poor and deleting the provision of filling in 50 per cent posts in the prosecution department through promotions.

The Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution, Functions and Powers) (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 states that appointments to the service, except appointment of the prosecutor general, shall be either by initial recruitment or by promotion or by transfer as prescribed.

It says that all appointments by initial recruitment shall be made on the recommendation of Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC).

Officials said the ordinance would help fill in 40 posts of additional deputy and prosecutors generals. Under the original law half of the posts in the department were to be filled in through promotions which could not actually be done in the absence of any promotion mechanism.

The Punjab Social Protection Authority Ordinance 2015 provides for the establishment of an authority of the same nomenclature with a mandate to provide a comprehensive, efficient, effective and gender-equitable social protection system to the poor and the vulnerable in Punjab.

The authority is headed by the chief minister and comprises food and health ministers, additional chief secretary, chairman Planning & Development, secretaries of finance, social welfare, baitul maal, industries, zakat and ushr, labour, women development departments, four MPAs, including two women and two representatives of the civil society.

It is mandated to formulate social protection policy for the province, in consultation with all stakeholders and synergise related efforts with the federal government, national and international institutions, to consolidate and coordinate all public social protection initiatives through policy framework for each sector, including federal government’s initiatives.

Its other functions include formulating policies for the protection of legal rights of the poor and vulnerable, ensuring equitable allocation of resources in line with carefully identified objectives, preparing, storing and disseminating data regarding those eligible under various categories of poverty, evaluating performance of social sector programmes, determining eligibility criteria for assistance under social protection programmes, formulating policies for effective and efficient mechanisms for relevant agencies and evaluating their performance, forming and executing policies for social protection which may include food, education, health, social assistance, social inclusion, labour market regulations and policy risks.

It will notify criteria for the eligibility of poor and vulnerable for financial assistance, procedure for the identification of the marginalised groups and the disbursement procedures of the social interventions for each department or agency, develop social protection framework for each region, establish legal and social protection center in a region.

The authority will establish a fund, having feeding lines like provincial government grants, grants from the federal government or any agency, donations by persons or association of persons, zakat, social protection cess on transfer of property and purchase of land.

The ordinance repeals the Punjab Social Services Board Ordinance, 1970 (II of 1970).

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2015

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