LAHORE: The Punjab government has earmarked Rs 52 billion for Chief Minister’s Rural Roads Programme; Rs 4.58 billion for Punjab Irrigated Agricultural Productivity and Rs 5 billion as subsidy for tractors during financial year 2015-16.
Presenting Punjab budget in Punjab Assembly here Friday, Provincial Finance Minister Dr. Ayesha Ghous Pasha said that Punjab government has initiated Rs 150 billion Chief Minister Rural Roads Programme for which a grant of Rs 52 billion would be allocated in the next fiscal year. The project aimed at ensuring speedy and inexpensive transportation to agri products from fields to markets.
The minister said the government has for last few years been implementing Rs 21 billion mega project ‘Punjab Irrigated Agricultural Productivity Improvement Project. Under this project, she said, drip and sprinkler irrigation system installed over an agricultural area of 120,000 acres and 9000 water courses were streamlined. For the fiscal year 2015-16, she added, the project would get Rs 4.58 billion.
The Punjab government would also give a total of Rs 5 billion for provision of 25,000 tractors to small farmers/growers on subsidized price on merit and in transparent manner. It has also been proposed to allocate Rs one billion for provision of agricultural equipment to the farmers.
