Islamabad:
On Wednesday, the Federal Cabinet approved a 15% increase in pensions provided by the Institution of Employees’ Softworks (EOBI), from January 1, 2025, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistani and Human Resources Development.
This increase will be funded by the institution’s own resources.
The federal cabinet meeting was held under the presidency of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
The Prime Minister led the training of a cabinet committee to introduce institutional reforms to Eobi.
The Committee will also deliver on proposals aimed at extending the social benefits of the informal labor sector, including domestic workers, agricultural workers and other categories of marginalized jobs that have previously been neglected.
The reforms aim to ensure that workers in these neglected sectors receive their rights due.
The firm also approved the initiation of the necessary legal procedures concerning the bill on shipping documents for maritime transport, 2025, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.
On the recommendation of the Ministry of National Health Services, the firm has approved an extension of five years of the exemption on the import of anti-cancerors, hearts and vital drugs used in hospitals and related health establishments.
Medicines are considered vital to save human lives, and exemption is intended to guarantee their rapid availability.
These drugs will only be available in hospitals and authorized institutions, with the ban on open market sales. Importing these drugs will require the prior approval of the license authority concerned.
The cabinet also approved the decisions taken during the meetings of the cabinet committee on legislative affairs held on July 2, 2025 and July 3, 2025.
Earlier to contact the cabinet, the Prime Minister congratulated the efforts of all provincial governments, the federal administration, as well as the authorities of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltisan (GB) for having taken the best possible measures during Muharram.
He also expressed his gratitude to the organizations responsible for the application of laws and all stakeholders to maintain law and order during religious observances.
The Prime Minister also talked about preparation for disasters in the middle of the monsoon season. He declared that he had chaired a high -level meeting with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMA) to ensure the best agreements. He congratulated the efforts of the NDMA for having made arrangements to deal with the heavy rains in different parts of the country.
He expressed his pain in the face of losses due to strong precipitation in various parts of the country, in particular the tragic incident in Swat. He said it was an unhappy incident and stressed the need to learn from it and implement measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Economically, the PM Shehbaz expressed its satisfaction with the recent positive trends in macroeconomic indicators.
He reiterated the emphasis put by his government on performance and the provision of services, announcing that the performance of the ministries would be evaluated every two months.
“This message that I want to make strong and clear – it is delivery and service to the nation,” said the Prime Minister. He added that the ministries who will perpetuate will be recognized and appreciated, while those who are not short will be held responsible and invited to explain.
During the meeting, he also congratulated the Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan IQBAL for the effective use of development funds by his ministry, noting that development spending had reached more than 1 Billion of rupees as part of the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
