QUETTA: The Balochistan government has decided to introduce tax and duty amnesty schemes for national and foreign investors to attract investment in the port town of Gwadar.
This was stated by Provincial Minister for Planning and Development Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai while addressing a press conference along with the Planning and Development Chief Secretary Nasibullah Bazai.
The minister said work on several uplift projects pertaining to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Balochistan was under way. He said the Balochistan government had achieved 95% target in the implementation of 2,250 uplift schemes of provincial Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2015-16 along with development projects of the federal PSDP 2015-16.
Giving details, he said the Rs54.5 billion provincial PSDP 2015-16 had 2,250 schemes including the 940 on-going ones and 1,310 new ones for which Rs19.5 billion and Rs31.57 billion were allocated, respectively.
“About 95% funds for the on-going schemes were released within seven months,” he said, adding that 97% PC-1 of new uplift schemes had been approved and 95% of funds allocated for them had been authorised. “Departmental action would be taken against officials if any funds of the PSDP are lapsed,” he added.
Meanwhile, the additional chief secretary said that Rs440 million were allocated for 88 schemes for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
“With the cooperation of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, several water projects worth billions of rupees have been completed. Also, under the Prime Minister Package for Quetta, Rs5 billion are allocated to be utilised for the construction of flyovers, bypasses and underpasses in the provincial capital,” he said.
Bazai said the Prime Minister National Health Insurance Programme had been initialised in four districts of Balochistan on ‘experimental basis’. “Cost of Rs250,000 and Rs50,000 would be borne by the Federal and Provincial governments respectively, for the medical treatment of poor patients.”
