LAHORE, May 18: The Pakistan Baitul Maal is planning to introduce a Rs3.5 billion plan under which selected girls from 4,500 schools of 22 most backward districts in the country will be given free lunch.
This was stated by Pakistan Baitul Maal managing director Brig Sarfraz in a meeting with Punjab chief secretary Imtiaz Masrur here on Saturday.
Under the proposed Tawana Pakistan programme, 100 schoolgirls each would be selected from 250 schools of four districts each in Sindh, Balochistan and the NWFP who would be given free lunch. In Punjab, the facility would be extended to six districts, he added.
The students would be between five and seven years of age and the programme, if approved, would continue for three years.
According to Brig Sarfraz, 5,000 social workers were already being trained for preparing quality food for the students. The food would be prepared according to the dietary requirements of each district, he said.
Meanwhile, the chief secretary chaired a meeting at the Civil Secretariat which discussed various proposals to simplify procedure of wheat and sugarcane procurement, early payment to growers, registration and transfer of vehicles, registration of property and provision of computerized application forms of various departments.
The meeting was told that because of effective steps taken by the government sugar mills had so far cleared over 90 per cent dues of the growers. Over 1.75 million ton of wheat had also been procured in the province due to the same reason.
It was stated that besides computerization of motor vehicle registration system, it was being considered to mention on the registration documents the colour of every vehicle, and the national identity card and telephone numbers of its owner. This being done to locate, if required, the owner at the earliest.
Similarly, the meeting was told, a strategy was being devised with the help of Wapda, SNGPL, PTCL and other utility departments whereby the subscribers could avail the service and get their complaints regarding their bills redressed in the shortest possible time.
The meeting discussed a permanent system for the easy availability of medicines in the government hospitals to those who deserved zakat.