Punjab allocates Rs. 507b for urban facilities

LAHORE, Jun 16 (APP): The Punjab government has allocated a total of Rs. 507 billion under development and non-development expenditures for the fiscal year 2026-27. This includes Rs. 187.10 billion for development expenditures for provision of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to the public.

In his budget speech on the floor of Punjab Assembly here Tuesday, Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that through the positive application of these funds, a strong local government system, balanced regional development, and basic facilities in urban and rural areas of Punjab will be provided. The details of these measures are as follows:

The Saaf Pani Programme is being implemented across 18 districts of Punjab at a cost of Rs. 45 billion to ensure the provision of clean and safe drinking water. This project is ongoing with an allocation of Rs. 8 billion for the next fiscal year as part of the upcoming budget. Under this project, more than 5,600 Water Filtration Plants will be installed so that clean drinking water is accessible to the public. All plants across Punjab will be Digitally Geo-Tagged. A Dedicated Helpline 1336 has also been established for the redressal of public complaints regarding clean water.

The Punjab Rural Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Project is ongoing in 16 districts of Punjab at a cost of approximately Rs. 96.20 billion, benefiting around 2,000 villages.

In addition to these projects, the Rural Sanitation Programme will be launched in the upcoming fiscal year at a cost of Rs. 300 billion. Another key initiative, the Chief Minister WATSAN Programme, is being introduced at a cost of Rs. 40 billion, with the objective of providing better water supply, sanitation, and cleanliness facilities to the public.

Implementation is underway on the Lahore Development Programme (LDP) at a total cost of Rs. 137 billion to further improve urban infrastructure, basic facilities, and municipal services and Rs. 10.60 billion has been allocated for this programme in the next fiscal year.

To improve sewerage, Storm Water Drainage Systems, streets, lanes, and related basic infrastructure across the province, a comprehensive programme titled the Punjab Development Programme (PDP) has been launched in the fiscal year 2025-26 at a total cost of Rs. 505 billion. This program will benefit 66 large cities of the province upon its successful completion. For the upcoming fiscal year, a proposal of Rs. 31 billion has been made for this project.

Model villages will be developed under a program costing Rs. 59 billion, through which 485 villages across 10 Divisions of Punjab. A proposal of Rs. 10 billion has been made for this program in the upcoming fiscal year.

The Murree Development Program has been launched at a cost of Rs. 10.70 billion for the improvement of urban facilities.

Suthra Punjab Programme has been implemented across the province at a cost of Rs. 270 billion, providing better cleanliness facilities to 120 million people of the entire province and making the environment cleaner and healthier. For this project, Rs. 170 billion has been allocated in the upcoming fiscal year. Suthra Punjab has also received accolades at various international forums as a public-friendly government project. This project was presented at international meetings like COP30. In addition, prominent international newspapers and news channels like BBC, Forbes, and Bloomberg acknowledged the utility of this programme. Under the Suthra Punjab programme, more than 200,000 jobs were provided. For the first time in the history of Punjab, a Waste to Value Project is also functional to benefit from garbage through mutual cooperation. This entire programme is being aligned on modern lines using Technology and AI. The improvement in cleanliness on the occasion of the recent Eid-ul-Azha is a manifestation of this programme’s success, for which the entire cleanliness staff deserves appreciation.

Under the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme for homeless and low-income families, housing loans have been issued to 173,000 families, while Rs. 255 billion has been spent for this purpose. Under this programme, more than 101,000 houses have been constructed so far, while over 32,000 houses are under construction. During the next fiscal year, there is a plan to provide interest-free loans to 200,000 individuals under this programme at a cost of Rs. 300 billion. He mentioned that this visionary programme of Punjab government has received appreciation not only within Pakistan but also at an international level. Recently, this programme was praised at the meeting of the World Urban Forum held in Baku, which is a matter of pride for Punjab government.

Similarly, under the Apni Zameen Apna Ghar programme for the provision of land, Rs. 1.47 billion were provided in the fiscal year 2025-26, through which free-of-cost plots have been provided to 2,000 families so far.

The CM Sustainable Goals Programme is being started at a cost of Rs. 5 billion so that the goals of sustainable development and public welfare projects can be further strengthened. Implementation of projects for the provision of water, sewerage, solid waste management, and other municipal services across 10 intermediate cities of Punjab is underway under the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme (PICIIP) with a total cost of Rs. 62 billion.

The project Developing Resilient Environment and Advancing Municipal Services (DREAMS) is continuing successfully in Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur at a cost of Rs. 64.48 billion. A special programme has also been introduced at a cost of Rs. 2 billion for the establishment, restoration, and upgradation of parks across Punjab.