More than Rs. 1000 billion Rs volume Punjab budget has been presented

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Finance, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman presented people-friendly budget of more than Rs. 1000 billion. Following are important points of the budget.

v The Punjab budget is a key and basic document of a revolutionary welfare programme.

v Elimination of load-shedding is top priority of present government and Punjab government has allocated Rs. 31 billion for energy sector in new financial year.

v Rs. 17 billion have been allocated for Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in the next financial year.

v People and trade institutions will be motivated to use low electricity consuming equipment and for this purpose 2.5 billion rupees have been allocated.

v Government has decided to allocate 36 percent of total development funds of the province for South Punjab in the next budget.

v Projects worth Rs. 263 billion have been started in South Punjab and a sum of Rs. 119 billion has been allocated for these projects during next year.

v The dream of development cannot be materialized without ensuring protection of human lives and maintenance of law and order. Government has enhanced 16 percent of police budget and allocated Rs. 81.68 billion in the next year’s budget.

v An amount of Rs. 5 billion has been allocated for meeting additional needs of law and order and coping with terrorism.

v Government has allocated an overall amount of Rs. 273 billion for education sector at provincial and district level.

v Rs. 48.31 billion are being allocated for development projects relating to education sector.

v Rs. 14.05 billion have been allocated for development budget of Punjab Higher Education.

v Punjab government has allocated a total of 121.80 billion rupees for health sector at provincial and district level in the next budget.

v Yellow cab scheme has proved to be very popular among the people due to which 50 thousand more yellow cabs worth Rs. 25 billion would be distributed among the people enabling 50 thousand families earn their livelihood.

v A huge amount of Rs. 17.11 billion has been allocated for different projects of potable water and drainage of water under public health.

v Government has allocated 14.97 billion rupees for the promotion of agriculture and welfare of cultivators.

v Government has decided to give subsidy of five billion rupees to the farmers for providing fertilizers.

v A sum of Rs. 50.8 billion has been allocated for the rehabilitation of irrigation system, development of water resources and maintenance of canals.

v Rs. 39.56 billion have been allocated for communication & works sector.

v Rs. 8.93 billion has been allocated for the uplift of livestock sector.

v Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro bus project will cost 41.40 billion rupees and this project would be completed during next financial year.

v Metro bus has project been announced for Multan which will be completed at a cost of Rs. 30 billion.

v 27.1 km long metro train project is being launched in provincial metropolis which will be completed in a record period of 27 months with investment China.

v A progamme has been chalked out for imparting technical education to 20 lakh persons during next four years and a huge amount of six billion rupees will be spent on it.

v Two billion more rupees have been allocated for Punjab Educational Endowment during next financial year.

v Five Daanish Schools would be set up at Mailsi, Lodhran, Jhang, Taunsa and Fort Monroe during next year and Rs. 2 billion have been purposed for this puupose.

v There is a proposal of allocating 7.5 billion rupees for Punjab Educational Foundation.

v Rs. 1.2 billion are being allocated in the next budget for converting IT labs in high and secondary schools on solar energy.

v Rs. 3.5 billion are being allocated for giving one lakh laptops to talented students on merit.

v Rs. 4 billion are being allocated for issuance of health insurance cards due to which low income people will get the facility of free treatment in public and private institutions, one billion rupees are being allocated for mobile health unit.

v Rs. 4.14 billion are being allocated for land record computerization in new financial year.

v It has been decided to allocate two billion rupees for distribution of interest free loans for providing job opportunities to jobless youth.

v Rs. 2.56 billion have been allocated for the promotion of forests, fisheries and wildlife.

v Government has allocated a huge sum of five billion rupees for the provision of edible items at reasonable rates to low income people during the month of Ramzan.

v In order to ensure active role of women in socio-economic sector, a sum of Rs. 1.86 billion has been allocated in the budget.

v A plan has been made for construction of 20 thousand houses for labourers during the next financial year while four new Aashiyana schemes will be launched.

v Tax evasion would be checked through transparency in tax system and better supervision. Additional revenue of about Rs. 15 billion is expected to be generated due to these steps.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that biggest development package of history has been announced for the development and welfare of the people of South Punjab in the new budget.

He said that Punjab government of PML-N had allocated 32 percent development funds against the ratio of 31 percent population of South Punjab during previous year whereas 36 percent resources have been allocated in next financial year which is a record in the history of Punjab province. He said that a huge amount of Rs. 119 billion has been allocated for development projects of South Punjab for next year and RS.260 billion rupees will be spent on the completion of these development projects. The Chief Minister said that the dream of rapid development of South Punjab will be materialized with the biggest development package of the history. He said that best, balanced and poor-friendly budget of Punjab has been prepared with round the clock efforts and huge amounts have been allocated for the development of education, health, law & order and social sectors.

Shahbaz Sharif said that record amount of Rs.345 billion has been allocated for the development projects which is the biggest development budget in the history of the province.

Earlier ,Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif arrived at Punjab Assembly at 4.40 pm to participate in the budget session. The Chief Minister met various assembly members in his chamber at Punjab Assembly and attended the budget session.

On the arrival of the Chief Minister, PML-N assembly members welcomed him by thumping desk and the house resounded with slogans “DEKHO DEKHO KON AYA…..SHER AYA SHER AYA”.

The Chief Minister embraced Provincial Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman and congratulated him on delivering budget speech in an excellent manner and presenting a balanced, people-friendly and public welfare budget and presented him glass of water.

The Chief Minister was looking highly satisfied and delighted by presenting the biggest budget in the history of Punjab. When Provincial Finance Minister while announcing the biggest development budget in the history of South Punjab said that due to the personal efforts of Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, a huge sum of Rs.119 billion has been allocated in next financial year for public welfare and development projects of South Punjab and this amount is 36 percent of the total development budget, the Chief Minister appreciated Finance Minister by thumping desk.