KARACHI, Aug 29: The Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, has stressed on raising the scale for number of employees for the Employees Overage Benefit Organisation (EOBI) in any organization from the existing 10 to 20.

In this regard, he asked the concerned authorities to take a review of the proposal in detail so that such laws do not affect small and cottage industries. He was presiding over a high-level meeting at the Governor House in which matters related to the EOBI came under consideration.

The meeting was attended by Adviser for Excise and Taxation M.A. Jalil, Adviser for Information Salahuddin Hyder, Chief Secretary Mohammed Aslam Sanjrani, Principal Secretary Akhtar Zamin, Secretary Finance Malik Israr, DCO Mir Hussain Ali and other officials.

The governor made it clear that the government was paying attention to promotion of small and medium sized industries, and simplifying the opportunities of self-employment. For this purpose, rules and regulations would also have to be simplified, he emphasised.

He did not agree with the suggestion of granting exemption to EOBI property, meant for commercial purposes, from payment of tax, and pointed out that the provincial and city governments too needed funds for providing civic facilities.

The governor assured full co-operation to the EOBI programmes for providing facilities to workers. Meanwhile, the governor has issued a directive for payment of monthly stipend of Rs6,210 to private doctors seeking post- graduate training.

He asked the provincial finance department to take immediate steps in this regard. The stipend would be given to doctors who would work on vacant posts of house officers in various government hospitals. - APP