Punjab govt moves to provide life insurance cover to employees

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, while the provincial government outlined plans to establish a life insurance company for government employees and said it would consider proposals to expand financial relief for the public.

The session, chaired by Panel of Chairpersons member Samiullah Khan, began more than two hours behind schedule. Members also discussed tax compliance in the hospitality sector, while Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora invited Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the assembly speaker and other legislators to visit Pakistan.

The resolution marking October 27 as Kashmir Black Day was moved by Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and adopted unanimously.

According to its text, October 27 represents a dark day for Kashmiris, referring to the arrival of Indian forces in Srinagar on that date in 1947. The resolution expressed concern over reports of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and called on the international community to take notice of the situation.

It said the use of force could not suppress a people’s demand for freedom and reaffirmed the Pakistani people’s solidarity with the Kashmiri struggle and recognition of the sacrifices made by Kashmiris.

The assembly called for a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Punjab Life Insurance Company

During question hour, responding to questions from government member Amjad Ali Javed, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman said the provincial cabinet had approved the establishment of the Punjab Life Insurance Company in 2024.

He said work would begin on preparing the documents required for registration, including the memorandum and articles of association.

The minister said the proposed company was expected to secure around one million clients immediately from government institutions. He added that its premiums would be lower than those offered by other companies, benefiting government employees.

According to the minister, the company would conduct life insurance business in accordance with the Insurance Ordinance, 2000, but would not be permitted to engage directly or indirectly in banking or related non-banking business.

The minister also referred to financial pressures on the provincial government, saying Punjab’s development allocation had been reduced from Rs1.3 trillion to Rs750 billion, leaving the government unable to undertake some of its planned work.

Arora invites Indian Punjab chief minister

Addressing the assembly, Ramesh Singh Arora invited Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the speaker of the Indian Punjab Assembly to visit Pakistan, saying they would be warmly welcomed.

Arora’s invitation follows Mann’s expression of interest in attending the fourth International Punjabi Conference in Lahore from November 27 to 29. Mann had said he wanted to visit Pakistan but questioned whether the Indian government would allow him to travel.

Arora said Pakistan would welcome Mann and other Indian Punjab legislators and invited them to visit Kartarpur and religious sites belonging to different faiths.

He also referred to arrangements for Sikh pilgrims travelling to Kartarpur, saying that under an agreement, 5,000 pilgrims had been envisaged, but the Indian government had restricted the number to 500.

Arora reaffirmed his support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, saying Pakistan stood with them in their struggle.

Tax compliance raised

During the proceedings, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman also raised concerns about tax compliance among businesses, alleging that some small shops earning substantial amounts were not paying taxes.

He said some large hotels and restaurants had maintained separate accounts for cash transactions and that invoices were sometimes issued repeatedly. He also alleged that some restaurants failed to pay the required taxes on home-delivery orders.

The remarks were made during the assembly’s discussion of government business and tax-related matters.

The session was eventually adjourned until 11:30am on Wednesday after the House failed to meet the quorum requirement.

Punjab approves development schemes worth Rs60bn

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has approved funding worth around Rs60 billion for development projects, including road rehabilitation, road dualisation, industrial facilities and solar power systems for courts across the province.

The approvals were given at the 11th meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP), chaired by Planning and Development Board Chairman Dr Naeem Rauf.

Among the projects listed were the rehabilitation of the Gujrat-Sargodha Road in Mandi Bahauddin district and the dualisation of the road from Lilla Interchange to Pind Dadan Khan in Jhelum district.

The rehabilitation of the Gujrat-Sargodha Road was allocated Rs11.989 billion, while Rs20.809 billion was approved for dualising the road from Lilla Interchange to Pind Dadan Khan.

The meeting also approved Rs2.61 billion for solarisation of district and sessions courts across Punjab, including benches of the Lahore High Court.

Industrial facilities

Funding was also approved for projects aimed at developing specialised industrial and technical facilities.

These included Rs762 million for advanced automotive technologies in Lahore’s Shahdara area, Rs1.01 billion for a modern woodworking service centre and Rs1.173 billion for a centre of excellence for the construction sector.

The meeting further approved Rs2.75 billion for the provision and upgrading of facilities in Punjab Small Industries Corporation (PSIC) and Small Industries Estates (SIEs).

The projects are intended to support infrastructure development, improve facilities for businesses and strengthen public-sector infrastructure across the province.

The funding approvals were announced by the provincial Planning and Development Board. The allocations listed for individual schemes form part of the development approvals reported for the meeting.