industry cannot flourish if govt doesn't address labourers' issues: Bilawal

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Monday that the country's industries cannot flourish until the government does something for the problems and woes of the nation's labourers.

Addressing a gathering in Sukkur, he said that the Benazir Mazdoor Card (BMC) would be rolled out soon, and through it, "no labourer would be left helpless during these hard times."

"PPP stands like a wall against anti-labourer policies," the PPP chairman said, adding that the government's announcement of building houses proved to be a "conspiracy" against labourers.

"Despite limited resources, our work is in front of you," Bilawal told the gathering, adding that the Centre was "taking away gas and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases from the province".

He further said that poor people were being left roofless in the name of encroachment — hinting at the anti-encroachment drive underway to clear Karachi's nullahs.

A day earlier, Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani had said that the provincial government would start distributing the BMC this month.

According to the PPP leader, the card is the "first of its kind initiative by any province in the country for the welfare of the labourers".

Addressing a ceremony hosted by the North Karachi Association of Trade, Saeed Ghani maintained that just like the launch of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) some years back, the BMC is a groundbreaking project initiated for the welfare of the deprived sections of society.

The minister explained that the BMC would serve as an ATM, education, and healthcare card for labourers.