Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a meeting of provincial cabinet here on Friday which granted approval to amendments to Drug Act 1976 and DRAP 2012. The cabinet also approved with consensus Provincial Finance Commission Award 2016 and Punjab Civil Administration Ordinance 2016 as well as endorsed the minutes of the meeting of cabinet’s Standing Committee on Finance and Development. The Punjab cabinet also decided unanimously that local government system will be enforced in the province from January 2, 2017 and local governments will come into existence on that date. The meeting decided to enhance sentences and fines on the elements involved in the nefarious trade of spurious and substandard drugs and their properties will also be confiscated. Moreover, under Civil Administration Act 2016, Deputy Commissioner Office will operate instead of District Coordination Office.

Addressing the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif said that the role of local government institutions is of vital importance with regard to solution of problems of people at local level and with the activation of local governments, service delivery to the masses will improve. He said that local governments are being activated in the province from January 2, 2017 and decision has been taken by the Punjab cabinet today with consensus.

He said that local governments will also be empowered and granted financial autonomy. He said that under Provincial Finance Commission Award 2016, a substantial increase has been made in resources of local governments and 391 billion rupees will be given to local governments whereas 274 billion rupees were given last year. As such 44 percent increase has been made in the funds of local governments compared to the last year, he added. Shehbaz Sharif said that there will be a ban on utilization of development funds under some other head and it will be spent only for development purposes.

The Chief Minister said that more resources will be given to local governments of south Punjab and backward areas than the past while equal funds will be made available to urban and rural union councils.

He said that disparity in the distribution of funds between urban and rural union councils has been removed and they will be given equal funds. He said that an equitable, transparent and comprehensive formula has been evolved under Provincial Finance Commission Award 2016 for distribution of funds whereas additional resources will be given to local governments showing good performance. He said that a regular mechanism of audit has been evolved for utilization of funds.

The Chief Minister appreciated Provincial Finance Minister Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Secretary Finance and their entire team on devising formula of Provincial Finance Commission Award 2016. He said that under the new system mayors, chairmen district councils, deputy commissioners and DPOs will be responsible for maintenance of law and order and protection of life and property of citizens at district level while coordination committees will also be formulated for this purpose at divisional, district and tehsil levels.

He said that safety commission and police complaint authorities will also be established in the province. The Chief Minister lauded the performance of Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Secretary Law, Secretary Prosecution and other authorities with regard to preparation of the new system.

Shehbaz Sharif said that the elements involved in the manufacture and sale of spurious and substandard medicines are enemies of humanity and should be awarded deterrent punishment. He said that Punjab cabinet has approved today with consensus amendments in Drug Act 1976 and DRAP 2012 as a result deterrent punishments and fines will be awarded to those engaged in the heinous business of bogus and substandard medicines.

He said that manufacture and sale of spurious and substandard drugs is a crime and there is a need to make an example of those as are involved in this evil trade. He said that provincial drug monitoring teams will be constituted for rooting out this evil from the province.

He said that quality medicines are a right of patients and state-of-the-art drug testing labs are being set up by the Punjab government in different cities for this purpose. Shehbaz Sharif said that those involved in the production and sale of spurious and substandard medicines will be brought to justice and awarded deterrent punishment so that no one dare to play with innocent lives. He said that action will also be taken under the law against anyone giving wrong information about manufacture and sale of spurious medicines. The meeting also granted approval to remove houbara bustard from schedule III of Punjab Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Amendment Act 2007 and placing it on schedule I. The cabinet also offered Fateha for the departed soul of the father of Ahmad Yar Hunjra and sister of Mehr Ijaz Achlana. Provincial Ministers, Advisors, Special Assistants, Chief Secretary, Inspector General Police and secretaries of concerned departments attended the meeting.

Punjab Minister for Primary & Secondary Health Kh Imran Nazir has said the basic objective of introducing amendments in the Drug Act-1976 is to ensure quality medicines.

“The manufacturing and sale of spurious and substandard medicines would not be tolerated at any cost and such elements would be sent to jail. Medical stores and chemists have no link with the drug act and they are being misguided by the vested interests,” he expressed these views while addressing a press conference in the committee room of Directorate General Public Relations, Punjab, on Monday.

The minister said the working on the amendments in drug act had been continued for the last one and a half years during that period more than dozen times consultation was made with all the stakeholders. He said earlier there was minor fine for preparation of substandard medicines and after introducing amendments in the drug act, six months imprisonment and heavy fine could be imposed for manufacturing substandard medicines while sentence of life imprisonment and fine of millions of rupees could be awarded to the manufacturers of spurious drugs.

The minister said substandard medicines in which prescribed quantity of ingredients are not included, these medicines are injurious for human lives and misguide the doctors. He said medical stores have no concern with the amendments of drug act which is meant for the manufacturers and Health Department has no dispute with the medical stores and chemists.

Kh Imran Nazir said the government is ready to provide safety-valve to differentiate between science and crime so that it could be decided whether there is a mistake or intention involved in making any substandard medicine. However, nobody can allow forcing the government to impose his or her choice, he added. He said herbal production units would also be regulated and they have to adopt the Good Manufacturing Practices and registered themselves with the DRAP.

Responding to a question, Kh Imran Nazir said: “If other provinces are not taking any step in this regard, this is not our responsibility”. He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif wants to provide best quality medicines to people. He said the Punjab government has many times consulted with other provinces for diverting their attention to this very serious issue. He said nobody would be allowed to take law in his hands and close medical stores by force. The minister said police had been asked to deal with such elements with an iron hand. He said the situation is normalising gradually and big medical store chains were opened and the situation would further improve.

Kh Imran Nazir assured that the government would take every step and utilise all resources to maintain uninterrupted medicines supply to people.

technical training: More than 30,000 women have acquired technical training across the Punjab in one year. Sannat Zaar institutes have been established at district level for the welfare of women where they are trained according to their requirement.

These views were expressed by Director General, Social Welfare Bait-ul-Mall department, Punjab, Waheed Ansari while presiding over a meeting.

According to him, more women will be trained in every district with the cooperation of Tevta; so women can play their better role in the prosperity of their families, he added.

He said, on the occasion of Women International day, the crafts, Fine Arts and other things made by women will be displayed. Additionally, the goods made by women at craft centres under Sannat Zaar and NGOS will also be displayed on the eve.

Radio Day: Punjab University Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS) Monday organised a seminar in connection with World Radio Day.

According to a press release, Hameed Nizami Press Institute of Pakistan Director Absar Abdul Ali, Assistant Professor CSAS Dr Abdul Majid, Head of Department at Department of Mass Communication, Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) Anjum Zia, faculty members, MPhil/ PhD scholars of the centre and Department of Political Science were present.

The topic of the day was “Empowering Youth through Radio”. The speakers threw light on different phases of youth empowerment through radio. They were of the view that radio is more powerful than all other electronic media hence it could play more significant part to instruct and educate youth.

Punjab government via notification is allowed to make a monitoring team which is empowered to exercise the powers of inspectors. Such task force is already made in which MNAs and MPAs are members. Section 11C: Punjab government is allowed to give powers to any private firm to inspect pharmaceutical industries and medical stores.The respective private firm can exercise the powers of inspector and replace the already working drug inspectors selected through ppsc.
Punjab government can give the legal status to any international laboratory, other than the already established testing laboratories. Despite of spending millions on the upgradation of DTLs
Section 23(5) penalties for drug inspectors are suggested in this new subsection.It is going to be the only law in which the law enforcement authorities will be prosecuted than safeguarded which is against the section of drug act 1976 which provides indemnity to the inspector
Drug act 1976 is implemented throughout the country as it is, with no amendments by any province other than punjab for its own intrest.
Qualified person if absent will be imprisoned for 1 month to 5 years and with fine from 5 lakh to 50 lakh.
Subsection (3a): On manufacturing of substandard drugs, QA incharge, QCM, Plant manager (pharmacists) will be imprisoned for 6 months to 5 years and with fine for 1 crore to 5 crore (there are product recall procedures for substandard drugs internationally).