LAHORE, April 1: Governor Khalid Maqbool has ordered immediate abolition of the benevolent fund haj grant and acquisition of the services of noted financial experts for profitable investment of Rs4.5 billion BF deposits.

The governor issued the directives while presiding over a high-level meeting held at the Civil Secretariat here on Monday to approve the increased rates of BF grants for the government employees. He said that there was no justification for the BF Haj Grant as the religion enjoined every Muslim to perform Haj from his own resources.

The governor was informed that the BF deposits from two per cent deductions from the salaries of the Punjab government employees had swelled to Rs4.5 billion and were threatened with reduction due to continuous reduction in the bank mark-up rates. He said that the finance department should engage financial experts to ensure profitable investment of BF funds for further increase in the volume of the same. He also stressed the need for positive changes in the system of group insurance for the government employees.

The governor said that the provincial government would provide a special grant equal to four months basic pay in the event of the natural or accidental death of a government servant. A farewell grant equal to one months basic pay would be given to every employee on retirement.

He said that he wished that the government should adopt uniform policies aimed at the welfare of the employees and their families to solve the problems related to the construction of houses, education, transport and health without considering their grades.

The meeting was attended by Punjab Finance Minister Tariq Hamid, Chief Secretary Imtiaz Masroor, Additional Chief Secretary Mian Muhammad Jamil, provincial secretaries and Civil Secrtariat Employees Association office-bearers.