Punjab Approves Increase in Jail Time and Fine for Kite Flying

On Wednesday, the provincial cabinet approved stricter penalties for kite making, selling, flying, and the possession and manufacturing of illegal arms. Additionally, several key initiatives, including housing loans, subsidized tractors, and a pediatric heart surgery program, were endorsed.

A press release detailed that the punishment for possessing and manufacturing illegal arms has been set at three to five years in prison, along with a fine of Rs500,000 to Rs700,000. Under the Kite Flying Ordinance 2001, penalties for kite flying will now range from two to five years of imprisonment and a fine between Rs2 million and Rs5 million.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, also approved three major projects: the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” housing scheme, the “Green Tractor” program, and the “Children’s Heart Surgery” initiative.

Key decisions include:

• The Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) policy for both public and private sector institutions.
• The establishment of Punjab’s first provincial life insurance company.

For the first time, housing loans will be granted based on plot ownership. Borrowers of Rs1.5 million will have to make monthly payments of Rs14,000 over nine years. The loan scheme has been made a revolving fund with no additional public charges.

Under the Green Tractor Programme, 9,500 tractors will be distributed to farmers with up to 50 acres of land, starting on September 20, 2024, with balloting scheduled for October 20. Each tractor will come with a Rs1 million subsidy.

The Children’s Heart Surgery Programme aims to perform 12,000 pending surgeries, with international pediatric surgeons invited to assist.

Other approvals included:

• Recruitment of an assistant comptroller in the Chief Minister’s Office.
• Regularization of contract employees in the Public Health Engineering Department.
• Creation of a search committee to appoint the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
• Extension of contracts for 583 employees in the Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education project.
• Amendments to the Punjab Vagrancy Ordinance 1958 and the Probation of Offenders Ordinance 1960.
• Appointments within the Punjab Agriculture Food and Drug Authority.
• Inclusion of new projects in the Annual Development Programme.
• Reconstitution of the governing body of the Punjab Workers Welfare Fund.
• Approval for salary payments to contract staff at Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College.
• Establishment of search committees for appointing vice chancellors of Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology, Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab University of Technology Rasul, Mandi Bahauddin, and the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade’s Board of Directors.