40 model villages to be completed across Punjab in July: minister

LAHORE, Jul 11 (APP): Punjab Minister for Local Government and Community Development (LG&CD) Zeeshan Rafique has said that development work in 40 model villages across different tehsils would be completed during the current month, while 485 villages would be transformed under the first phase of the Model Village Programme by December 31 under the supervision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Chairing a review meeting of the Model Village Programme at the Civil Secretariat, here on Saturday, the minister said the Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company (PRMSC) was ensuring implementation of the project according to the prescribed timeline. The meeting was attended by Secretary Local Government Shakeel Ahmed Mian, Secretary Implementation Chief Minister’s Office, Special Secretary Shahid Zaman Lak, Additional Secretary Mehreen Faheem Abbasi, PRMSC Chief Executive Officer Khurram Parvez and other officials.

Minister Zeeshan Rafique said the Punjab government was providing all possible resources for the successful implementation of the flagship rural development initiative. He appreciated PRMSC for utilizing almost 100 per cent of the allocated funds during the previous financial year.

The minister said every model village would be equipped with essential municipal services, including paved streets, streetlights and children’s parks with recreational facilities. He added that public feedback from villages where work was underway had been highly encouraging.

He said the initiative aimed at providing urban-standard civic amenities to rural communities, describing it as a unique project of the Punjab government. He further announced that the scope of the programme would be expanded gradually, with 7,500 villages proposed to be included in the next phase.