Lahore Staff Reporter
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced the launch of a ration card scheme for 150,000 workers under the “Suthra Punjab” sanitation initiative. Speaking at a special event, the CM praised the efforts of the sanitation workers, stating that wearing the Suthra Punjab uniform is a matter of pride.
“I salute all the heroes of Suthra Punjab,” she said. “If I can wear a commando uniform as Chief Minister, I can wear this one too. The police, commissioners, and deputy commissioners are part of my force — and so is the Suthra Punjab team.”
Maryam Nawaz commended the Suthra Punjab team for cleaning cities, towns, and rural areas across the province, and expressed gratitude for their relentless work, especially during the recent floods. She highlighted that the workers even formed human chains to block floodwaters — a role not in their mandate but taken up out of humanitarian concern.
She shared her satisfaction in seeing the team actively cleaning streets, especially in areas like Sahiwal, where announcements are made in neighborhoods before waste collection. “I try to fulfill people’s dreams,” she said, “and the Suthra Punjab team has fulfilled mine.”
Calling it the largest sanitation team in the world, Maryam Nawaz acknowledged the contributions of Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq and the Secretary of Local Government. She criticized the previous administration, stating that the sanitation system collapsed after Shahbaz Sharif’s tenure, and during the “Gogi Pinki” era, trash piles covered streets across the country.
Maryam Nawaz claimed that the current government has reversed this decline by deploying 150,000 sanitation workers and sending cleaning machinery to every district. “People no longer say ‘garbage man’ — they respectfully say ‘cleanliness worker’,” she noted.
She announced that within one year, a state-of-the-art sanitation system would be implemented in all districts. Over 35,000 machines and thousands of containers have already been dispatched across Punjab. Referring to previous Eid-ul-Adha holidays, she said waste used to rot in streets for weeks, but now it is cleared within just two hours.
She further highlighted that each district now has its own machinery, ending reliance on inter-district support. “Cities had some cleaning in the past, but rural areas had none. Today, every corner of Punjab shines.”
Maryam Nawaz also shared that her uncle Shahbaz Sharif, once skeptical of her ability to manage the province, now commends her performance. “Education, healthcare, sanitation, roads, and public transport are basic rights — and I am serving people with sincerity,” she stated.
In addition, she announced scholarships and laptops for talented students and claimed that the crime rate in Punjab has dropped to zero. “Women are no longer harassed without consequence — offenders are arrested within 24 hours,” she added.
Taking a dig at critics, Maryam Nawaz said she is also “cleaning the minds” of those who resent Punjab’s progress. She concluded by expressing her hope for development and cleanliness in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well, urging citizens in those provinces to demand their rights — from affordable food and functioning infrastructure to employment and digital access.
“Development, cleanliness, education, and jobs are the rights of the people,” she affirmed.
