LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that corruption was the major hurdle in the development of the country and the government would have to make joint efforts for its elimination.

The CM said this while presiding over a Punjab Cabinet meeting at Chief Minister Secretariat here.

He said that a Cabinet Committee has been constituted for rooting out corruption in the province which will submit its concrete recommendations for purging the society of this menace which will be presented to the Assembly for legislation after the cabinet approval.

The committee will submit it in the next cabinet meeting which will later be presented in the Assembly for legislation, he added.

He said that an approval has also been given for setting up of an authority for elimination of hoarding, adulteration in essential items and stabilizing their prices in the province and a draft law would soon be submitted in this regard.

The cabinet approved eight amendment bills of various departments with regard to running the affairs of ministries being transferred to the provinces under 18th Constitutional Amendment.

Regarding Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) of the government officers and officials, Chief Minister said that the purpose of these reports was to judge the efficient and inefficient officials and in the past these reports were reflective of the performance of the officers in true sense but now these reports were not being written in proper manner.

He directed that the previous standard of these annual confidential reports should be restored and these reports should be written on the basis of actual performance of all officers and officials.