Islamabad: According to a press release issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, The Standing Committee on Industries and Production convened on Monday under the Chairmanship of Syed Hafeezuddin, MNA in Committee Room No.7, Parliament House, and Islamabad.

2. The Standing Committee has expressed its strong displeasure over the absence of the concerned Minister and Secretary from the Committee meeting. The Committee emphasized the importance of ministerial presence in such discussions and recommended that the minutes of all Cabinet Committee meetings held so far on Utility Stores be provided. Additionally, the Committee voiced serious concern over the termination of employees from the Utility Stores Corporation and directed the Managing Director Utility Stores Corporation to submit a detailed list of the affected employees.

3. The Committee also deliberated on the issue of subsidies on electricity bills provided to Karachi-based industries by K-Electric during the COVID-19 period, a matter currently under review by the Islamabad High Court. A representative from NEPRA briefed the Committee on the NEPRA court's decision against K-Electric. After extensive discussions, the Committee sought a mediated resolution between the industries and K-Electric. It directed the Power Division, NEPRA, K-Electric, and two Committee members to work towards an amicable solution and report back to the Committee.

4. Furthermore, Syed Rafiullah, Mover/MNA raised serious concerns regarding the non-implementation of the government's minimum wage policy, particularly in Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and even within the Parliament Cafeteria. Despite the government's directive to set the minimum wage at Rs. 37,000 per month, the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) and several industrial units have failed to comply. The Standing Committee resolved to escalate this issue to the House, highlighting that the government's minimum wage directive is not was enforced nationwide. It urged the House to take decisive steps to ensure its implementation in letter and spirit, safeguarding the rights of low-income workers from further exploitation.

5. The MNA namely Mr. Shahid Usman, Mr. Sajid Mehdi, Ms. Kiran Imran Dar, Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, Mr. Abdul Hakeem Baloch, Mr. Naz Baloch, Dr. Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, Mr. Muhammad Mobeen Arif, Mr. Muhammad Saad Ullah, Rana Atif, Mr. Muhammad Ali Sarfraz, Mr. Muhammad Arshad Sahi, Syed Raza Ali Gillani, and Mover/MNA namely Syed Rafiullah besides the Additional Secretary M/o Industries and other senior officials of the ministry and other attached departments attended the meeting.