LAHORE: A meeting of the Punjab cabinet on Thursday approved an amendment bill proposing stricter punishments for selling dead or haram meat and okayed a draft law to regulate fee structure of private schools.

The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also approved two more draft laws and a policy on domestic workers.

Under the Punjab Animal Slaughter Control Amendment Bill 2015, those selling meat of dead or haram animals would face four to eight years of imprisonment with Rs300,000 to Rs500,000 fine.

The elements selling substandard meat will also face the music – from 15 days to six-month imprisonment with Rs25,000 to Rs100,000 fine on first violation, one month to one-year imprisonment and Rs100,000 to Rs200,000 fine on second violation, and six months to two-year imprisonment and Rs200,000 to Rs500,000 fine on third violation. All these offences will be non-bailable.

Under the proposed Punjab Private Education Commission Bill 2014, a 17-member commission will regulate private schools grading them for fee structure. The law will make the schools provide free education to 10pc talented students from low-income families. The commission will also control exploitation of teachers as district level committees will ensure implementation of the law.

The cabinet approved the draft Restriction of Employment of Children Bill 2015, banning industrial labour of all kinds from children below the age of 14 years. The step, it is learnt, was initiated in the wake of deaths of many children of around 12 years in the Sundar factory collapse.

Under the domestic workers policy, the government is considering to grant the status of industrial workers to domestic help.

An amendment to the Punjab Poultry Production Act 2013 also got a nod from the cabinet. It also expressed satisfaction at the security arrangements in all the three phases of local elections as well as the steps taken under the National Action Plan against terrorism.

The chief minister commented that better arrangements were seen in Punjab compared to other provinces in the local polls enabling the people to exercise their right to franchise in a peaceful atmosphere.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2015