LAHORE: Minister for Excise and Taxation Punjab, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman on Wednesday said that Punjab government provided relief and subsidies to the people of the province in Budget 2015-16.
Talking to various delegations here at his residence, he said that subsidies included ten billion rupees on wheat, Ramazan Package of five billion rupees, subsidy of Rs 3.5 billion rupees on transport and allocation of Rs 10.8 billion rupees for the provision of free medicines.
The Punjab government has set up Punjab Social Protection Authority for providing socio-economic protection to poor and low income people, this authority was starting its first project at a cost of two billion rupees under which scholarships would be given for the assistance of handicapped persons and their socio-economic rehabilitation, he added.
He said that for basic sanitation measures including clean and safe drinking water supply, sanitation, solid waste and other measures are being adopted to save the people from communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as to provide them clean environmental atmosphere. He said the government was utilizing funds for the uplifting of social sector in the province so that to upgrade the social status of the people.
Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman said that an action plan was being implemented for the provision of clean adn safe water supply to the masses of the province and required funds has been provided for this purpose, whereas, sufficient amount would be spent for the up-gradation of drainage and sewerage system of big cities in the province.
He said the government was giving top priority to the supply of clean and safe drinking water to the masses, as it was essential for human health and to prevent the spread of fatal diseases like hepatitis, typhoid and others.
The government would also install incinerators in all the public sector hospitals so that hospital waste could be disposed off without any harm of spreading communicable/non-communicable diseases, virus and without environmental pollution, he added.
Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said the government would provide two billion rupees to Idara-e-Akhuwat for the provision of interest free loans under self employment scheme besides, health insurance will also be started with two billion rupees.
The government is constructing child protection institute for safeguarding unattended and hapless children and under-construction institute at Rahim Yar Khan would be completed during the current month.
Construction of institutions have been started in Bahawalpur and Sahiwal at a cost of Rs 260 million besides Dar-ul-Amaans will be established for hapless women in Multan, Lodhran, Pakpattan, Kasur, Layyah, Hafizabad and Sheikhupura.
The Punjab government is paying special attention to welfare of special persons and 29 thousand special girl and boys are studying in 250 institutions of the province that are provided free residence, food, aid implements and uniform besides scholarships are also being provided to them, he concluded.
