LAHORE: The provincial government has initiated several projects in south Punjab to boost the living standard of the deprived people living in the area.
This was stated by Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, while talking to different delegations. He said that the Punjab government started Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur at the cost of Rs150 billion, while Saaf Pani programme has been launched at the cost of Rs30 billion in eleven districts of south Punjab.
The minister said the Punjab government has made equitable allocation of funds for development projects in the province. He said the government is using all available resources for providing better healthcare to the people, and specialised institutes are being set up in the province so that state-of-the-art facilities could be provided to the masses at the local level. He announced that the Punjab government is establishing a modern kidney and liver institute and research centre in Lahore at a cost of Rs 3 billion, whereas Rs 1.41 billion package has been announced for specialist doctors as incentive to work in tehsil and district hospitals, whereas Rs 10.82 billion has been provided for the provision of free medicines in public sector hospitals.
Mujtaba said under the “knowledge-friendly policy” of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif Rs 310.2 billion have been allocated for the education sector, which is 27 percent of the total budget. The development budget for education sector will be used for setting up of computer labs in 990 high schools, providing missing facilities in 7,550 schools, reconstruction of buildings of 4,700 schools and opening of 500 new schools, the minister said, adding that Rs 150 billion set aside for the construction of farm-to-market roads will usher in an agricultural revolution in the country.
