Govt allies, Opposition express confidence on CM Bugti, announce to support budget

QUETTA, Jun 15 (APP): Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti organized a brunch here on Saturday in honor of government coalition parties and the Opposition members to take consultation of the stakeholders regarding the Budget-2024-25.
On this occasion, a consultation was also held on the progress related to the budget
Governor Balochistan Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandukhail and Speaker Provincial Assembly Abdul Khaliq Achakzai also specially attended in the advisory session.
For the first time in the history of Balochistan, the chief minister consulted the government allies and the Opposition members on the budget. They expressed full confidence in the chief minister by announcing their full support for budget formulation, good governance and reform process.
They also appreciated the initiative of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and assured their full support while expressing satisfaction with the proposed budget in the economic situation of the country and the specific conditions of the province.
Speaking on this occasion, the chief minister said that the proper use of available resources for the elimination of backwardness from Balochistan should be the first priority of all of us.
He said that reforms were being carried out in budget documents and all departments for proper utilization of resources, regarding the budget for the next fiscal year, we have unanimously decided in principle to maintain the volume of development projects within the resources.
It is a good development in Balochistan that for the first time development projects approved under PC one have been made part of the budget, he underlined.
The CM maintained that health and education were our priorities in the budget of the next financial year, it was proposed to increase the education budget by 300 percent and the health budget by 100 percent. The tendering process will start from the first week of the first month of the next financial year to ensure the implementation of development projects without delay, he noted.
Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that after Eid, he would call a conference of the officers of the departments responsible for the implementation of the development projects and would give them clear goals with clear vision.
It should be noted that the responsibility for quality and timely completion of the projects lies with the concerned departments and their officials who have compiled the PC One, who have to stay in the field and effectively monitor the development projects, he described
He said that the CMIT and anti-corruption establishment were being activated to make the accountability process effective.
The chief minister mentioned the steps taken by the Balochistan government so far and said that for the first time in the history of the province, the Benazir Bhutto Scholarship Program has been started for the promotion of education. The doors of 200 universities around the world, including Oxford, have been opened for Balochistan students aspiring for PhD, he said adding that the provincial government has decided to bear the educational expenses of the children of civilian martyrs, including minorities and transgender, he said.
The Chief Minister said that the Balochistan government would bear the sixteen-year educational expenses of twenty toppers from each district.
The first Air Ambulance service in the province is in the process of being started, to improve the medical facilities, steps will be taken under the Sindh-style Public-Private Partnership. Unemployed graduates will be supported for entrepreneurship by providing interest-free loans, he said.
He said that Gambit Medical Institute center was going to be established in Naseerabad district adjacent to Sindh for liver transplant of patients suffering from liver diseases saying that for which the senior leader of the party, Mir Mohammad Sadiq Umrani, has donated the land for establishing the center.
The Chief Minister said that action would be taken after Eid to combat drug addiction in the province, while rehabilitation centers for drug addicts to be activated.
In the consultative session, the provincial ministers and assembly members explained their views and expressed full confidence in the leadership of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and appreciated the initiatives of the provincial government.
Leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Provincial Minister of Development and Planning Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi said that the positive results of the reforms in the budget would come out. With the interest of the present provincial government, the pace of work on CPEC and communication projects of regional and international importance has been accelerated, he said. He said that a comprehensive mechanism has been created for efficient utilization of resources.
Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Provincial Minister Public Health Engineering Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran said that he supported the measures to eliminate corruption and establish good governance.
The present provincial government belongs to all of us and will provide all support for the improvement of governance under the leadership of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti in the initiatives for the welfare of the people and the people will get rid of the problems, he said.
Addressing the meeting, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Mir Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani said that their party was an ally of the provincial government and for the welfare of the people, he was with the Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on all measures including the budget of the government.
The provision of basic facilities including infrastructure in the scattered population of Balochistan is not less than a challenge, we all have to work together to relieve the people from their difficulties, he said.
Addressing the meeting, Provincial Agriculture Minister Haji Ali Madad Jatak said that they were proud of the outstanding performance of the present government under the leadership of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti saying that ten billion for the Kachhi Canal and substantial funds have been proposed in the budget for the development of agriculture.
Parliamentary Leader of Awami National Party (ANP) Engineer Zmarak Khan Achakzai said that he supported the positive initiatives and reforms of the provincial government, unemployment could be eliminated by increasing revenue in productive sectors.
Jamaat-e-Islami member and Parliamentary Secretary Transport Abdul Majeed Badeni said that he supported the budget proposals and reforms.
National Party Member Provincial Assembly Mir Rehmat Saleh Baloch said that for the first time a consultative meeting was held in which government and opposition members were invited which was the foundation of a happy and positive tradition.
He said that we had made it clear on the first day of the assembly forum that we would support the provincial government in every collective issue of public interest.
Addressing the meeting, Provincial Irrigation Minister Mir Muhammad Sadiq Umrani said that the provincial government under the leadership of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti was striving for the welfare of the people.
By solving public problems, the sense of deprivation and terrorism of the people of Balochistan can be ended, he said.
Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Longove said that the consultative session was a positive initiative, terrorism was affecting the development of the province, therefore, the formation of an effective strategy based on a clear position was indispensable to end the monster of terrorism.
Provincial Minister, Noor Muhammad Dummar, Muhammad Sadiq Umrani, Parliamentary Secretaries Liaquat Ali Lahri, Asfandyar Kakar, Maulana Noor Muhammad, Agha Umar Jan Ahmadzai, Zafar Agha, Kulsoom Niaz and others also expressed their views in the consultation meeting.