BAHAWALPUR: The district government has finalised a welfare project aimed at ending the bonded labour.

It is learnt the Punjab government will provide Rs30 million for the project meant for the welfare of brick kilns’ wage earners.

Under the project, a non-formal education system for the children of kiln workers and other families involved in the labour would be evolved.

The kiln workers will also be educated in the health, sanitation and physique problems in addition to providing them loans under the micro-finance scheme and bringing up and looking after their livestock on scientific lines.

The district vigilance committee on the bonded labour at its meeting chaired by District Officer Coordination (DOC) Muhammad Akram Bhatti finalised its recommendations and decisions regarding the project here on Wednesday.

The committee decided to appoint two mobilizers in the area to facilitate kilns’ workers to seek registration from Nadra, secure computerized national identity cards (CNICs), training for the manufacturing of bricks with modern method, create awareness about the bonded labour for civil society members and notables.

COMPLETED: The counsel for both petitioner Makhdum Ahmed Alam Anwar, a defeated PML-N candidate in NA-192 (Rahim Yar Khan), and respondent MNA Khawaja Qutubuddin of the PPP completed their arguments before an election tribunal headed by retired district and sessions judge Chaudhry Abdul Hafeez here on Wednesday.

Counsel for petitioner Mian Faizul Hassan completed his rebuttal arguments after respondent’s counsel Malik Muhammad Aslam Channar.

The tribunal adjourned the hearing till Nov 6 when the judgment is expected to be announced.

The process of recounting of polled votes had already been completed while for its verification at the request of respondent’s counsel, the evidence of eight presiding officers had also been recorded.

STIPENDS: The USAID offered around 100 scholarships for students of the Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB).

Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Rao Muhammad Afzal Khan said the stipends to about 50 per cent girl students of BS (Social Sciences), MS and M.Phil courses were expected to be given from December 2014.

A USAID delegation led by Haroon Rahim, the education adviser of USAID, Punjab, called on the vice-chancellor on Wednesday and offered him the stipends which he accepted and thanked them.

JOB FAIR: A job fair for technical trainees under the aegis of the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) was organized at Government College of Technology here on Wednesday.

A large number of trainees and jobless boys and girls turned up at the venue to seek the help.

A number of technical and vocational institutions informed that 34 girls were imparted a three-month training in tailoring, stitching, and embroidery, 83 in computer and 33 in refrigeration with monthly scholarship of Rs722 per head while 40 were offered jobs.

Punjab Minister for Cooperatives Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar encouraged the institutions to provide jobs to the private men and women and cooperate with the government to end unemployment.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2014