GUJRAT: The Punjab Local Government Department has planned the updated training of at least 47,000 registered nikah khawans (marriage registration officials/authority) across the province. In this connection, the two-day training of at least 466 master trainers, selected from across the province, has been initiated at the Punjab Local Government Academy (PLGA) at Lalamusa town. These master trainers have been selected from the secretaries of union councils (UCs) and nikah khawans, whereas their training programme is being run in different phases based on administrative divisions. Official sources say the participants in the two-day training will be briefed about the legal responsibilities and authority of the nikah registrars and UC secretaries, after which they will conduct one-day training sessions for their colleagues in their respective districts. Training sessions for 466 master trainers begin at Lalamusa The PLGA is the sole training centre for the officials of local bodies, as well as the elected representatives, in Punjab which had been established in 1953 on the GT Road. PLGA Director Mehmood Iqbal Gondal says the training programme has been launched to update the knowledge and skills of these officials and registered Nikkah Khawans with regard to handling the issues like underage and forced marriages, as well as the laws introduced in Punjab in the last few years. Moreover, he says, the participants are being informed of issues relating to the marriages’ legality and procedures to register the marriages of the overseas Pakistanis, as well as relevant provisions of the Muslim Family Law 1961 and other such legislation. He says the training of master trainers may be completed in Janurary 2025, as the first batch of 200 participants will pass out by December 15, while the remaining 266 participants will complete training by the end of January. It is learnt that the training programme has been launched with collaboration and financial support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF). Meanwhile, the revamp of the PLGA’s Lalamusa centre at the cost of Rs551 million is also underway, which also includes installation of solar panels for the production of cheap electricity. The funding for the revamp project has been provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with the Punjab government.