The Sindh Cabinet on Saturday approved the introduction of a new pension scheme for government employees, the formation of a Sindh IT company, and the transfer of Cadet College Dadu to the Pakistan Navy.
The Cabinet approved the introduction of the Sindh Defined Contribution Pension Scheme 2024, which will begin on July 1, 2024. Both the government and employees will contribute temporarily at rates of 12% and 10% respectively.
Sindh Cabinet gave approval for implementation of the Sindh Defined Contribution Pension Scheme 2024, starting from July 1, 2024, and declared Karoonjhar a cultural heritage site.
The Cabinet meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s House, included provincial ministers, advisors, the Chief Secretary, and relevant officials. Several significant decisions were made during the five-hour meeting.
The Cabinet also approved the addition of a new subsection (5) after subsection (4) in Section 20 of the Sindh Civil Servants Act 1973. According to the proposed amendment, any appointee or regular government employee will be considered a government employee under the amended Sindh Civil Servants Act 2024 but will not be entitled to pension or gratuity.
Instead of gratuity, such employees will participate in a Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and will be entitled to receive amounts provided by the government. The government fund will be credited to their accounts, and in the event of the employee’s death, their family will receive funds from the Contribution Pension Fund.
The Cabinet permitted the proposed amendment to the Sindh Civil Servants Act 1973 to be presented to the provincial assembly.
Additionally, the Sindh Cabinet decided to declare the 21,000-acre Karunjhar Range a protected cultural heritage site, following the decision of the Sindh High Court Circuit Mirpurkhas, and instructed the Culture Department to notify this in the official gazette.
The Cabinet approved Rs 434.109 million for operating the 1.5 MGD mega RO plant in Islamkot, Tharparkar, and directed the Public Health Engineering Department to expedite the restoration work of the RO plant within the next three months for the benefit of the local population.
Approval of Sindh IT company
The Cabinet approved the establishment of the Sindh IT Company as part of the digital Sindh initiative. Additionally, the School Education Department informed the Cabinet that 5,019 teachers from the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and Basic Education Community Schools (BECS) are still receiving a monthly honorarium of Rs. 25,000.
The NCHD and BECS teachers were transferred to the Sindh government in August 2022. According to the terms agreed with the School Education and Literacy Department on August 11, 2022, their services were regularized with a monthly salary of Rs. 25,000, including a 5% annual increment until the age of 55.
After thorough consideration, the Cabinet approved a monthly salary of Rs. 37,000 for NCHD and BECS teachers, resulting in an additional burden of Rs. 539.542 million on the treasury.
The Cabinet also approved the establishment of a Board of Governors and the transfer of Cadet College Kakkar, Dadu District, to the Pakistan Navy. Additionally, the Cabinet approved a grant of Rs. 250 million for completing the remaining parts of Cadet College Kakkar.
The Cabinet directed the College Education Department to initiate admissions and activate the Cadet College. Cadet College Kakkar is established on 104.22 acres of land.
The Cabinet was informed by the Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department (ET&NCD) that they are working on a comprehensive legal framework to combat drug trafficking and dealers. Strict laws and regulations are expected to control drug production, processing, and smuggling.
The Cabinet was briefed that there are 46 Excise Police Stations, with six located in Karachi. The Narcotics Control Department has a sanctioned strength of 333, of which only 27 are active. In the past five years, 791 FIRs have been registered.
The Cabinet was informed that there is no system for criminal record office in the department, and an immediate system for sentencing based on FIRs was required.
The provincial Cabinet approved the transfer of administrative control of the Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from the Health Department to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) as the SEPD Act 2018 provides DEPD with a special mandate to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.
The Cabinet approved the amendment to the SIPM&R Act 2019 and forwarded it to the assembly for implementation. It also approved the charter for the Denning Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (DIET) and forwarded it to the assembly for legislation.
The Sindh Cabinet approved the appointment of Justice (R) Shah Nawaz Tariq for a continuous third term (four years) as Provincial Ombudsman from April 6, 2025, to April 5, 2029.
The Cabinet also approved penalties related to drug-related offenses: seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs500,000 for cultivation, 14 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs2,000,000 for manufacturing and usage, and one to seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs1,000,000 for possession of drugs. The Excise and Narcotics Department had proposed these penalties and fines.
