- Meets newly-inducted ministers Rana Iqbal, Manshaullah Butt, renews pledge to tackle poverty through inclusive development
Links Punjab’s employment and welfare projects to global poverty reduction goals
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday reaffirmed her government’s commitment to strengthening governance, improving workers’ welfare, and maintaining peace across the province.
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz made affirmation during a meeting with newly inducted Provincial Law Minister Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan and Provincial Minister for Labour and Human Resources Khawaja Muhammad Manshaullah Butt.
Welcoming the new ministers at the Chief Minister’s Office, Maryam Nawaz said their inclusion would further enhance the efficiency of the cabinet and help advance her administration’s agenda of transparent governance and citizen welfare.
The new ministers expressed gratitude to the chief minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership for their confidence and pledged to uphold the government’s reform and development agenda.
During the meeting, the participants discussed law and order, party affairs, and the overall political situation in the country. The chief minister underlined that maintaining public safety and economic stability remained the government’s foremost priorities.
Law Minister Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan lauded Maryam Nawaz’s “vision of a peaceful and law-abiding Punjab,” saying that the overall security environment had significantly improved across the province within a short period.
Maryam Nawaz directed the new Labour Minister Khawaja Manshaullah Butt to ensure transparency in the registration of factory workers and labourers, and to make certain that all registered employees received their due wages on time.
“The safety of citizens’ lives and property, and the fair treatment of our workers, are central to this government’s mission,” she said, directing the labour department to strengthen monitoring mechanisms and workplace safety standards.
Rana Muhammad Iqbal assured the chief minister that his ministry would continue working closely with law enforcement agencies to sustain the improving law and order situation and to support legislative measures aimed at protecting citizens’ rights.
Maryam Nawaz’s message on International Day for Poverty Reduction
Meanwhile, in a separate message issued on the International Day for Poverty Reduction, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the purpose of marking the day was to draw the attention of the global community to the plight of millions deprived of basic necessities and to reaffirm the collective commitment to building an equitable society.
She said the goal of poverty reduction was of special importance for developing countries like Pakistan, where inequitable distribution of resources continued to fuel social injustice and hinder inclusive growth.
“Limiting health, education, and other facilities to a certain class is a form of social injustice that obstructs progress toward poverty reduction,” she noted.
Maryam Nawaz highlighted several initiatives launched by the Punjab government to create jobs, empower youth, and uplift working-class communities. She said the provincial administration had generated thousands of employment opportunities through schemes such as the Asan Business Card and Asan Business Finance, aimed at supporting small entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals.
The ration card project for hundreds of thousands of workers and labourers, she said, was another significant step toward alleviating poverty by ensuring food security for low-income households.
Emphasising her government’s focus on education and skills development, Maryam said the Punjab government was providing training opportunities to the youth in information technology and technical education tailored to the evolving needs of the industrial sector.
She added that landmark development projects such as Nawaz Sharif IT City, Roda Industrial Estate, and Ravi Green City would collectively generate employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. “It is a record that over 150,000 individuals have already secured employment through a single provincial project,” she said.
Maryam Nawaz also referred to an ongoing historic development programme aimed at providing residents of remote and underdeveloped districts with access to modern health, education, and transport facilities, describing it as central to her government’s vision of inclusive growth.
“Poverty alleviation and improving the living standards of our people remain at the top of our priorities,” she concluded, reaffirming that the Punjab government would continue aligning its policies with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure equitable development and lasting prosperity.
