Emergence of Rs. 20b Social Protection Fund to improve life of common man in AJK: Anwar-ul-Haq

MIRPUR, May 25 (APP): Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq has said that the establishment of a Rs . 20 billion social protection fund by his government was an important milestone in turning AJ&K into a welfare state.
He was talking to a delegation of senior Pakistani journalists at the Jammu Kashmir House in the state metropolis late Friday.
The AJK premier, while referring to various initiatives the government has taken to serve the masses and raise their standard of living, said that besides setting up a social protection fund, Rs. 3 billion had been earmarked for an endowment fund to address the growing unemployment in the region.
He hailed the Army Chief for his unwavering commitment to the Kashmir cause. He also expressed his profound gratitude to the political and military leadership of Pakistan for their all-out support and cooperation extended to the coalition government.
Referring to his government’s zero-tolerance policy against mafias, he expressed that the government strictly implemented a zero-tolerance policy to eradicate mafias at all levels. “Today, no one can ever dare challenge the writ of the state,”  the PM said.
For the settlement of the Kashmir dispute, the prime minister said, “There is an urgent need that we redouble our efforts to seek an early settlement of the Kashmir dispute.”
About fair utilization of budgets and transparency in government spending, the PM stated, “So far, 60 percent of the budget has been spent, and transparency has been the key consideration in the entire process.”
The remaining 40 percent of the of the budget, he said, would be spent on the welfare of the masses. He said that the main purpose of the state was to serve its people. He said that the people do not pay taxes because they lack trust and confidence in the state institutions. He said that there has been tangible progress and overall improvement in the road infrastructure, health, and education sectors.
“Cent percent attendance has been ensured by introducing biometric systems in all the health and education institutions, budget deficit of $8 billion has been reduced to $1 billion, development projects pending for the last three years have been completed in one year”, he further highlighted.
The government, he said has provided subsidies worth over 20 billion rupees to the people in the form of cheap electricity, food, and wheat flour, in five municipal corporations, a three billion rupee subsidy is being provided in the form of clean water, and now under endowment fund, financial assistance would be provided to orphans, widows, transgender people, destitute elderly men and women, and divorcees.
He said that a fully independent public service commission had been set up to ensure recruitment on merit. About the induction of fresh blood in AJK politics, the PM said that 99 percent of the leadership of Azad Kashmir was above 60 years of age, and there was an urgent need that the youth should come forward and take the responsibility.
The PM said the government has been successful in resolving the issues of the Kashmir Council and the Neelum Jhelum Hydel project. He stressed that the government has shown a great degree of political maturity by engaging with members of action committees and raising their demands at the federal level.
Regarding the Indian leaders’ provocative statements, the AJK premier said that the government and people of Azad Kashmir won’t allow the Indian Interior Minister’s nefarious designs of spreading chaos in Azad Kashmir. “God willing, Kashmiris will achieve the cherished goal of joining Pakistan,”  he said.
The delegation was comprised of well-known anchorpersons, including Absar Alam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asma Shirazi, Muhammad Adil, Kamran Khan, Amar Masood and others.