LAHORE, Jun 30 (APP): Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday said that credit for fast paced progress in the province went to PTI and dynamic leadership and policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In short span of three years of the PTI led government, huge achievements had been made in all sectors due to prudent policies of the government.
While addressing the closing budget session of the Punjab Assembly, the Chief Minister paid tributes to the services of the frontline health workers, doctors, allied departments, including the armed forces and NCOC for their contribution to tackle Covid-19 pandemic.
He also paid glowing tributes to those health workers who lost their lives in war against the global pandemic in the province.
He said the province inherited several challenges when the government came into power three years ago including financial discrepancies and number of incomplete development projects including orange line metro train.
When the global pandemic broke out in the province, the provincial government started measures on emergency ground against the pandemic and also took guidelines from the federal government and Prime Minister Imran Khan to effectively manage it, he said.
Due to effective management of the provincial government and policy of lockdown and smart lockdown, coronavirus situation had improved in the province, he added.
Usman Buzdar said the government made an increase of up to 66 percent in development budget for next financial year.
He said and 25 percent disparity allowance, 10 percent adhoc allowance had been announced for the government employees of grade 1 to 19 in the province.
As many as 185 percent increase was announced in development budget of health sector, higher education 286 percent and school education 29 percent. He said development budget of other departments had also been increased.
An amount of Rs 189 billion had been set aside for the south Punjab which counted 35 percent of the total budget, he added.
First time in the history, he said, district development package had been introduced by the PTI government which would ensure composite development in every district of the province besides addressing sense of deprivations of neglected areas.
He said Punjab was the only province which not only achieved tax revenue target but also made a surplus.
Incomplete development projects were completed by the government including the new building of the Punjab Assembly, Trimmu Thermal power project, Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology and many others, he added.
He said that development projects amounting to Rs 86 billion had been announced for Lahore city, adding that Ravi urban development and central business district were game changer projects for the city.
He said various other development projects had been announced for the provincial metropolis including surface water treatment plant, water saving project, construction of 1000-beded general hospital, 600-beded mother and child Ganga Ram Hospital, child health university, 25,000 LDA apartments, international standard bus terminal at Thokar Niaz Baig and others.
To better manage increasing number of immigrants in Lahore, it had been decided to divide administration of the city and work on it was underway, he added.
He said that promise of South Punjab province was fulfilled by the government as inauguration of its secretariat had been done in Multan. Foundation stone of another South Punjab secretariat would soon be laid in Bahawalpur too.
He said that for coronavirus, 677 vaccination centers had been set up across the province and Rs 1.5 billion had been allocated for the vaccine.
CM Buzdar said that Rs 60 billion had been allocated for health card which was a flagship project of the PTI government which would provide better health facility amounting 720,000 per year to every family of the province. The project had been started in Dera Ghazi Khan and Sahiwal districts, he added.
He said that five other hospitals would be established in Rajanpur, Layyah, Attock, Sialkot,and Bahawlnagar.
He said that 32,000 recruitment of doctors and other paramedical staff were made in three years of the government.
The government had allocated Rs 442 billion for the education sector whereas first ever e-transfer, e-leave and e-retirement policy had been imposed to facilitate the teachers community, he added.
He said six new universities had been established in the province by the incumbent government. He said supporting price of wheat had been fixed at Rs 1800 per 40 kg which was Rs 1300 for the five years in the previous tenure.
To promote sports activities, more than 500 sports grounds were being established in the province, he said. More than 13,000 recruitment had been made in police department in three years of the PTI government, he added.
He said the mission of serving the people would continue under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
