LAHORE: Provincial Finance Minister Dr Ayesha Ghous Pasha told Punjab Assembly on Friday the Punjab budget for fiscal year 2017-18 was a significant step towards attaining goals set under Punjab Growth Strategy.
Winding-up general discussion on annual budget 2017-18 during the PA session here, she said, “The budget addressed public wishes as it has been designed after intensive consultations with peoples’ elected representatives.”
Finance Minister said, all positive financial indicators proved that Punjab government was implementing the best economic strategy and the province was on way to speedy progress.
She said, as the government was giving significance to health, education, energy, agriculture sectors, it had made hefty allocations for these important sectors.
Talking about the measures taken in health sector, the Finance Minister told the House that the Basic and Rural Health Centres were being strengthened to ensure best possible healthcare facilities to people at their doorstep.
In the next financial year, she said, additional Rs 55 billion would be spent on health sector and all the THQ hospitals would be modernised and 100 mobile health units would also be procured for easy access of people to healthcare facilities. She said, 2000 new beds would be placed in all major hospitals of the province and Rs 400 million would be spent to end shortage of ventilators, while Rs 16 billion had been earmarked for life-saving drugs.
Finance Minister said promotion of education was government’s top priority and concrete measures in this regard had already been lauded by the World Bank. Responding to the concerns of Opposition Leader during general discussion on budget 2017-18, she said that government under a well-thought policy, had handed over management control of low performing schools running under education department.
Dr Ayesha Ghous Pasha said Punjab government was following a detailed and comprehensive agriculture policy aimed at attaining short and long-term goals. She said, the new financial year would be a year of development for agriculture sector and it would flourish more in days to come. She said, a record wheat production had been achieved this year only because of successful government’s steps and farmers’ friendly policies.
Finance Minister said the serious measures taken by the PML-N government had enhanced the sense of safety of their lives and properties among the people and a huge amount of Rs 145 billion had been allocated for this sector. “Safe cities project is being being extended to six major cities,” she added.
She said, Clean Drinking Water was government’s another revolutionary project and a sum of Rs 25 billion would be spent on completion of potable water supply schemes especially in Souther Punjab. Overall, she said, Rs 75 billion had been set aside in the annual budget 2017-18 for water supply and sanitation schemes across the province.
Finance Minister told the House that owing to tireless efforts, several new power plants had been accomplished and a total of 5,000 MW would be added to the national grid by end this year. Completion of these projects, she said, would balance electricity demand and supply. On the objections by Opposition members regarding budget allocation for police, she said, financial resources would be exploited to change Thana Culture, reforms in investigation and prosecution, latest weaponry and training.
Earlier, the sixth sitting of the 30th session of current assembly started an hour and 46 minutes behind its scheduled time with Deputy Speaker Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani in the chair.
Today, presence of the treasury members in the House was noticeable as the Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was present during concluding speech of the Finance Minister.
Provincial Ministers Rana Sanaullah Khan, Malik Nadeem Kamran, Chaudhry Sher Ali, Manshaullah Butt, Malik Tanvir Aslam, Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Begum Zakia Shahnawaz were amongst others present in the House.
