LAHORE: The Punjab government announced on Friday that the chief minister’s helicopter will be used to shift the people critically injured in accidents to hospitals.

“Our people lose their lives for not being shifted to hospitals in time in case of an accident, especially in the remote areas,” says Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz while presiding over a meeting on the Air Ambulance Project in Punjab.

She said it was essential to get the accident victims to the hospitals in time.

“The air ambulance service will be started in Punjab soon and Rescue 1122 service will also be started on highways,” she added.

In a separate meeting, the chief minister said that online property transfer service for the overseas Pakistanis would offer them services like personalisation, mutation, e-filing and registration.

She directed the Board of Revenue (BoR) and the Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA) to take immediate steps to provide reliable online services to the overseas Pakistanis.

The meeting was informed that the land facilitation centres would provide people ‘one-stop solution’ for all land-related issues from June 30 in 11 divisional headquarters.

KISSAN CARD: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz reviewed a proposal for the issuance of “Kissan Card” in a meeting here on Friday.

The chief minister said the Punjab government stood by the farmers and won’t leave them alone. She directed officials concerned to take steps for the assistance of wheat cultivators.

“We are also well aware of the problems being faced by the common man and strive to provide them subsidised flour,” the CM added.

It was informed during a briefing to the CM that the government had to bear circular debt to the tune of Rs630bn for granting subsidy on wheat, paying Rs80 billion yearly markup.

The Punjab government has paid off Rs469 billion debt in the last eight months, the meeting was told.

A proposal with regard to the “Social Protection and Targeted Subsidy” was reviewed during the meeting, besides another for uninterrupted provision of manure and pesticides to the farmers.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2024