- Punjab CM orders historic elevation of Punjabi language in education and culture
- Meeting briefed that Punjab to install advanced fire-alert system and anti-tree-cutting sensors, tourism fully digitalised with ‘Magnificent Punjab’ app
- 47% rise in school enrolment under meal programme; 22,000 classrooms to be completed soon
- 66% drop in crop-burning cases through drone surveillance; 31 Sialkot tanneries relocated to cut toxic emissions
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday vowed to enforce strict performance accountability across every provincial ministry and department, as she approved wide-ranging reforms and major new initiatives spanning education, environment, forestry, wildlife, fisheries, tourism, archaeology, sports and labour during a six-hour marathon review session.
Chairing the high-intensity meeting for the third consecutive day, she set in motion landmark steps to elevate Punjabi language in education and culture, accelerate housing, overhaul environmental monitoring, strengthen tourism, expand sports facilities, and fast-track large-scale development projects across the province.
The meeting was informed that preparations for allotting 3-marla plots to 20,000 workers in Jhang and Kamalia had been completed. Officials briefed that special low-interest loans would be provided under the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” scheme. The chief minister directed immediate measures for rapid implementation of the project.
She also ordered extensive plantation campaigns along railway tracks, roads and canal banks. Senior officials reported that Punjab would install an advanced fire-alert system capable of detecting forest fire risks 20 minutes in advance, along with a sensor-based mechanism to prevent illegal tree cutting.
To nurture young talent, the chief minister directed that championship events be held every month across the province. Officials informed her that Punjab’s first pilot shrimp-farming project had succeeded, with large-scale consignments already exported. Large-scale shrimp farming on 5,000 acres is set to begin by February 2026. She sought a feasibility plan to expand this to 50,000 acres.
Authorities further apprised that Punjab’s tourism sector had been fully digitalised with the launch of the “Magnificent Punjab” app, offering comprehensive information and travel guidance. She instructed the preparation of development packages for all major tourist sites.
To promote healthy activities, school grounds across Punjab will be opened to the public in the evening. The chief minister also sought recommendations for laptop quotas for private universities and colleges and ordered early presentation of the draft College Management Council. Forty-four buses will be promptly provided to girls’ colleges across the province.
Maryam Nawaz expressed satisfaction over the indigenously produced smog gun at UET and directed the introduction of character-building classes in schools. She also approved the “Education on Wheels” pilot project in Lahore.
Authorities briefed that GIS-based complete forest mapping would begin for the first time. Fifty thousand advanced global-level courses will be offered to students through Google Scholars. They added that permanent principals had been appointed at 90 percent of Punjab’s colleges, while in-principle approval was given for recruitment of chairmen, secretaries and controllers of education boards.
Under the School Meal Programme, provision of milk packs has increased enrollment by 47 percent, while 1.1 million milk packs will be recycled into 150,000 school benches. Officials reported that 1,600 classrooms have been completed, with 22,000 more to be finished in three months. Under PSRP, 500 classrooms, 3,036 roofs and 4,377 toilets have been rehabilitated. Additionally, 23,000 furniture sets and 1,643 water tanks have been provided to schools. University enrolment has risen sharply, reflecting a 72 percent increase in public trust.
Under the “Honhaar” Scholarship Scheme, 140,000 students received scholarships, and 110,000 were provided laptops. Amendments to the Punjab Wildlife Act 1974 have enabled a strict crackdown on keeping wild animals at home. Officials said 35,000 birds and 7,000 animals had been rescued, and three rehabilitation centres established in Lahore, Khanewal, and Rawalpindi, alongside new bear protection centres.
Authorities briefed that 41 air quality monitoring stations were functional across 18 districts, with a target of 100 more by next year. Satellite tracking has sharply reduced crop-burning, while Pakistan’s first Eco-Chatbot has been launched. A 660-member Environment Protection Force is active province-wide, having conducted 300,000 emissions tests.
Officials added that a “Smog Command and Control War Room” had been established at Safe City Authority for real-time monitoring. Nighttime CCTV surveillance of industries is underway, supported by an 8-member night squad. Drone monitoring has yielded a 66 percent reduction in crop-burning cases. In Sialkot, 31 tanneries have been relocated to a dedicated industrial zone to curb toxic emissions.
