Punjab cabinet approves disbursement of relief funds to flood-affectees from October 17

LAHORE: Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired 29th meeting of the Punjab Cabinet with a 171-point agenda. The provincial cabinet lauded the largest rescue, relief and evacuation operation in Punjab’s history, along with the biggest financial assistance program for flood victims.

The cabinet approved disbursement of relief funds to flood-affected families starting from October 17 and sanctioned final compensation package. Under the package, families of those who lost their lives will receive Rs. 1 million, while victims of permanent disability will receive Rs. 500,000 and those with minor injuries will receive Rs. 300,000.

For housing damages, Rs. 1 million will be given for a completely collapsed and Rs. 300,000 for partially damaged concrete houses. Rs. 500,000 for fully collapsed and Rs. 150,000 for partially damaged mud houses. Compensation up to Rs. 500,000 will be given for large livestock and Rs. 50,000 for small animals lost in the floods.

The meeting also approved a principle decision to compensate Rs. 20,000 per acre for farmers who suffered a 25% crop loss. Furthermore, the cabinet decided to waive Abiana and agricultural income tax in 2,855 villages across Punjab. It was emphasized that all flood victims will receive due assistance and no illegal constructions will be allowed in riverbeds. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif commended the entire team for their exceptional efforts during recent devastating floods and paid tribute to Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Azma Bokhari, Khawaja Salman Rafique, Imran Nazir, Kazim Pirzada, Rana Sikandar Hayat and Sohaib Bherth.

Chief Minister Punjab also announced a monthly salary increase of Rs. 15,000 for Civil Defence volunteers in recognition of their outstanding services during the flood operations. She strongly condemned false propaganda trends being spread against Punjab. The meeting appreciated unprecedented rescue, relief and evacuation operations during recent floods, which saved not only human lives but also livestock. Despite being the largest flood in Punjab’s history, the province recorded the lowest mortality rate, an achievement appreciated with gratitude.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that Punjab had never witnessed such a devastating flood before, as entire towns including Narowal and Muzaffargarh were badly affected. She lauded the tireless efforts of ministers, deputy commissioners, police, Rescue 1122, PDMA and civil defense. SHE noted that the decision to bring young people into leadership roles had once again proven right, emphasizing that cabinet members and ministers are meant to stand with the people in their times of distress, not just sit in offices.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif highlighted that providing medical treatment to over 11 lakh flood victims was a remarkable record. She reaffirmed that all four provinces are equal and deserv due respect, adding that Punjab has always stood by other provinces in times of hardship. During the meeting, SMBR gave a detailed briefing on the 2025 floods, reporting that 27 districts, 4,678 villages, and 2,010 acres of standing crops were badly affected. The floods impacted a population of 4760581, while 2640916 people and over 2117396 livestock were rescued. A total of 417 relief camps were established.

The provincial cabinet rejected the Constitutional Bill 2025 and approved several key administrative and public welfare decisions. Chief Minister Punjab barred LDA from imposing taxes on beauty parlours and related businesses. She also directed formation of a special research committee for nominations to various boards. The cabinet approved a Rs. 2 per unit reduction in electricity tariff for Punjab’s solar power users and a cut in the Rent-a-Car service tax rate to 15%. For overseas Pakistanis, the MBBS fee was set at 10,000 dollars, while the proposed 20,000 dollars fee was rejected. It was decided that candidates from other provinces must pass MDCAT test for MBBS admissions in Punjab.

Chief Minister Punjab directed to take preemptive measures to combat smog and instructed that no agenda related to health or education be delayed. She directed deputy commissioners across Punjab to ensure continuous operation of water filtration plants and allowed repair and maintenance of NGO-run filtration plants. She also turned down a proposal to hire additional support staff for the Chief Minister’s Office. The cabinet approved the launch of “Maryam Nawaz Ration Card” pilot project in Lahore and an interest-free electric taxi scheme. It also sanctioned recruitment of 8,084 college and school teaching interns. Extension of contracts for 14 project-based employees in the Energy Department’s Reconciliation Cell was approved.

Further approvals included relaxation of recruitment bans for 25 posts in the Punjab Agriculture, Food & Drug Authority and the position of Regional Director, CTD Punjab. To enforce environmental laws and prevent stubble burning, 44 posts were approved in 10 sensitive districts. The cabinet also allowed recruitment for 77 posts in the Punjab Transport Company.

In principle, the cabinet approved creation of 379 new posts for Additional District & Sessions Judges and 872 Civil Judges-cum-Judicial Magistrates. It also approved provision of e-bikes for athletes under ‘Khelta Punjab’ program. Ex-post facto approval was given for funds released for Swat River and Chakwal flash flood victims. The cabinet approved the draft of “Punjab Domestic Workers Rules 2024” and “Punjab Wildlife Hazard Control Rules 2025.” It also approved the establishment of the Miners Welfare Board and Mines Labour Housing Board.

Finally, approval was granted for signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish friendly relations between Punjab and China’s Guizhou Province. The cabinet also amended the Punjab Delegation of Financial Powers Rules 2016 following creation of a new post of Director General Forests (BS-20). The cabinet approved establishment of the Punjab Forensic Science Authority and reconstitution of its Board of Commissioners. It also sanctioned establishment of Nawaz Sharif Cardiac Centre at Syed Muhammad Hussain Samli Hospital and Nawaz Sharif Cardiology Centre in Murree, along with the creation of a Horticulture Agency in Murree. Subsidies were approved under multiple agricultural initiatives, including the Chief Minister’s Programme for Water-Efficient Agriculture, the Punjab High Power Tractor Programme 2025–26 and Transformation of Agriculture in Potohar programme.

The meeting also approved revamping of the Environmental Protection Agency to improve service delivery. The Environmental Monitoring Centre (EMC) will be merged with EPA without additional financial burden. Approvals were granted for establishing Potohar Water Board along with extending deadline for setting up or expanding cement plants. Funds were sanctioned for completion of revamping and restructuring project of the main emergency block at Mayo Hospital, Lahore. The cabinet also approved establishment of the Counter Narcotics Force Punjab and granted a charter to the proposed Chenab University of Science and Technology in Rahim Yar Khan.

The cabinet approved appointment of teaching faculty up to the age of 65 on a three-year contractual basis in Basic and Clinical Sciences, following recommendations by a special selection committee. It also rescinded the earlier decision regarding appointment of special public prosecutors in the May 9 cases. Search committees will be formed to appoint vice chancellors in public sector universities under the Higher Education Department. Funds were approved for procurement of furniture and equipment for tertiary care hospitals under the reconstruction programme. The Punjab Social Protection Authority was granted annual funding for the operation and maintenance of 5,182 water filtration plants across the province.

The cabinet also approved purchase of DSNG/OB vans for live broadcast of official events, seed money for Punjab Special Planning Authority and establishment of a Centre of Excellence for boys and girls in Phoolnagar, Pattoki, District Kasur. A new CM Value Addition Financing Scheme for Pink Salt was approved under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2025–26. Consultancy services will be hired for further studies and reserve pricing of five placer gold blocks in District Attock. Alternative schemes under Lahore’s Development Programme 2025–26 were approved, as well as grants through the Punjab Transport Company for the inauguration events and media campaigns of electric buses in Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi.

Funds amounting to Rs. 612.10 million were approved for compensation to the affected individuals of Neela Gumbad. Development schemes under the Chief Minister’s Model Village Programme were also approved to provide municipal services. The cabinet approved Environment, Protection and Climate Change Department’s new project for installing 25 air quality monitoring stations under the World Bank’s PCAP initiative, along with revised costs and budget allocations for ADP 2025–26. Other approvals included the nomination of a private sector representative to the Private Power and Infrastructure Board, appointment of a Member (Finance) to the NEPRA Appellate Tribunal, and establishment of narcotics control stations under the Punjab Control of Narcotic Substances Act 2025 (Section 50).

Additionally, the cabinet approved features of Chief Minister’s Asaan Karobar Finance North, Centre and South programmes, as well as inclusion of the CM Asaan Export Finance for SMEs in ADP 2025–26. A one-time compensation package for the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners of the Punjab Information Commission was also approved. Finally, the cabinet approved an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Rules 1969 linking vehicle registration numbers directly with the owner’s name. The Punjab Cabinet has approved funds for public awareness campaigns and related activities under “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” housing program. The cabinet also approved appointments of chairpersons, secretaries and controllers of examinations in all Punjab Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education.

Approval was granted for the Punjab Horticulture Authority Act 2024 and formation of a loan negotiation team for signing the project agreement of Lahore Water and Wastewater Management Project with AIIB. The cabinet relaxed the ban on recruitments in the Punjab Public Private Partnership Authority (P4A) and approved the appointment of non-official members to the Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority. The scope of the Punjab Mass Transit Authority Act 2015 was expanded to include Gujranwala and Sargodha, while additional funds were approved for Punjab Saaf Pani Authority projects. The cabinet approved nomination of Judicial Member and Chairperson for the Punjab Revenue Authority Appellate Tribunal in Lahore and the nomination of presiding officers for labor courts in Sahiwal, Faisalabad-IV and Sargodha.

It also approved new minimum wage rates for industrial, commercial, and domestic workers across Punjab and the Wheat Release Policy 2025–26. The Punjab Life Insurance Company’s board recommendations, selection committee and capital enhancement were also approved. The cabinet endorsed the decision related to a writ petition overturning an MPO 1960 Section 3(1) order by the Deputy Commissioner of Rahim Yar Khan. The cabinet approved the nomination of a Special Judge for Anti-Corruption Court Sahiwal, establishment of Punjab Defamation Tribunals in Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi and the appointment of a CEO for Punjab Saaf Pani Authority. It also sanctioned repeal of the Punjab Regularization of Service Act 2018 (Amended) and approved the formation of the Board of Directors of Punjab Environment and Climate Change Endowment Fund Company.

The cabinet approved holding of 2nd Boxing Championship in Pakistan and inclusion of Lahore’s development projects in ADP 2025–26. It approved amendments to the Motor Vehicle Rules 1969 linking vehicle registration numbers with owners’ names. The formation of the Board of Governors for Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research, Lahore, was also approved. Relaxation of the recruitment ban in the intelligence and technical cadres of Punjab Special Branch, amendments to the Intelligence Cadre Service Rules and proposed amendments to the Punjab Employees Social Security Ordinance 1965 were also approved. The draft rules under the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act 2016 were sanctioned.

The cabinet approved the Punjab Wildlife (Amendment) Rules 2025, proposed amendments to the Drugs Act 1976 and revisions to the Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority (PAFDA) Act 2016. It also endorsed harmonization of the regulatory framework for the minerals sector and approved the Punjab Mines and Minerals Act 2025. The Punjab Right to Peaceful Protest Act 2024 was approved for implementation. The cabinet reviewed legal and administrative matters related to the Waqf, Trust, and Cooperative Societies Act 2024 and approved the reconstitution of the Board of Directors under the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation Act 2004 (Amended 2013).

Amendments to the Punjab Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act 2022, Forest Act 1927 and proposed amendments to both schedules of the Punjab Sales Tax on Services Act 2012 were approved. The cabinet also sanctioned proposed amendments to the Punjab Enforcement and Regulation Act 2024 and draft of the Punjab Control of Narcotic Substances Act 2024 for establishing excise police stations. The termination of “Procurement, Installation, Operation and Maintenance of Water Meters” project in Lahore under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode was approved. The cabinet also approved an increase in salaries and allowances for technical staff of the VIP flight at Lahore Airport under the Government of Punjab’s S&GAD department.

The cabinet approved an increase in salaries and allowances, including special judicial allowance, judicial allowance and utility allowances for the staff of administrative courts. It also approved the terms of employment for the chairman, director general and six experts under the Punjab Alternative Dispute Resolution Act 2019. Approval was granted for the restructuring and capacity enhancement of ECSP, with the Punjab government providing Rs. 2 billion as seed money. Funds were also allocated for the purchase of medicines for UHI patients in public hospitals. The cabinet approved the Service Level Agreement (SLA) framework for the operation and maintenance of solar projects.

The project name “Four Glass Wall International Squash Facility at Lahore Garrison Greens” was changed to “Four Glass Wall International Squash Facility at Multipurpose Sports Complex, Defence Hockey Arena, Ayub Stadium, Lahore.” A framework was approved for project-based activities such as feasibility studies, surveys and third-party validations. The cabinet approved recommendations of the National Task Force on Power Sector Reforms regarding tariff adjustments for Private Limited and Punjab Thermal Power (Private) Limited. Appointment of a chartered accountancy firm for external audits of the Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority 2017-18 to 2023-24 was also approved.

Reconstitution of the Board of Governors of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau and the formation of Boards of Governors for Jinnah Institute of Cardiology Lahore and Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology Sargodha under the Punjab Specialized Medical Institutions Act 2025 were approved. The appointment of the CEO of Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power (Private) Limited was sanctioned. The cabinet approved a loan of Rs. 41.927 million for operational expenses of the Punjab Energy Holding Company Limited for financial year 2025–26 and Rs. 400 million as seed money for the Punjab Horticulture Authority, along with the inclusion of 11 new schemes in the Annual Development Programme.

Supplementary grants were approved to complete projects under the Chief Minister’s District SDGs Programme and to fund previously unfunded projects. WASA schemes were approved for inclusion in the CM Development Programme 2025–26, along with the Punjab Finance Commission’s recommendations under the Punjab Local Government Act 2013. Approvals were granted for renewal of PSDP project funds, creation of OSD (BS-17) posts for families of deceased BISE officers, and payment of salaries to the heirs of 44 BISE deceased employees of Gujranwala, Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi divisions. The appointments in the Punjab Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism and Punjab Nursing and Health Workforce Reform Programme. The rebate deadline was extended from September 30 to October 31, 2025.

A Rs. 100 billion grant was approved for the Pakistan Army for post-flood infrastructure restoration and security preparedness. The cabinet sanctioned a Service Level Agreement with the Bank of Punjab for payment services and extended the contract of Punjab Skills Development Fund CEO Ahmad Haleem Khan. It also approved negotiations related to “Getting Results Project.” The cabinet approved transfer of Mian Nawaz Sharif Cancer Care Hospital, Manawan, to the Health and Population Department as a Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. Participation in global forums under Suthra Punjab Programme was also approved.

Formation of Boards of Management for Sahiwal, Gujranwala and Sahiwal Institutes of Cardiology under the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department was sanctioned. A search committee was approved for appointing vice-chancellors of the Veterinary and Animal Sciences Universities in Lahore and Bahawalpur. Approval was given for inclusion and restructuring of new projects under the Punjab Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programme, nomination of judges for special courts under the Punjab Special Courts (Overseas Pakistanis Property) Act 2025 and an additional grant of Rs. 3 billion for financial year 2025–26.

The cabinet approved transfer of all state land to the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency for implementing Punjab Affordable Housing Programme and formation of a loan negotiation team for the Lahore Water and Wastewater Management Project with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. An Expression of Interest was approved for plug-and-play stitching units at Quaid-e-Azam Business Park, Sheikhupura. The post of Statistical Assistant in the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department was upgraded from Grade 15 to 16. Six independent directors were appointed of Lahore Knowledge Park Company’s Board of Directors.

Relaxation in the recruitment ban at the Punjab Mass Transit Authority, nomination of the Technical Advisory Committee for Punjab Healthcare Commission and medical reimbursement of Rs. 410,500 to PKLI Lahore for liver cancer treatment were approved. The cabinet approved exemption of development agencies and local governments in Punjab’s Special Economic Zones from land conversion charges, inclusion of CBD Sialkot in the district’s Site Development Zone (2023–2043), and issuance of an NOC to Gharibwal Cement Limited for establishing a 10,000 TPD Line-II cement plant in Chakwal.

Approval was granted for the charter issuance of Akhuwat Institute, Kasur and implementation of Punjab Management Pay Scales 2023. The cabinet also approved representation regarding release of Salman Ghulam Mehdi as per a court decision. The minutes of the 27th Cabinet meeting and several Standing Committees on Legislation and privatization (18th to 24th) were approved and ratified, along with corrections in agenda number 08 and 41 to minutes of the 28th Cabinet meeting. The proceedings of the Law and Order Committee’s 30th to 35th meetings were also endorsed.