Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha addressed a post budget press conference

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Finance Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha has said that the priorities of provincial government include raising the growth rate targets to 7/8 percent and provide equal opportunity of jobs to maximum youth. She said that provincial government wants to double foreign investment and private investment.

She said that under public private partnership policy, facilities are being provided to local investors as due to investment, job opportunities will increase. She said that elimination of terrorism for the promotion of investment, improvement of security and completion of energy projects on priority basis are included in the priorities of the government. She said that completion of projects started for generating electricity will result in complete elimination of load-shedding.

She expressed these views while addressing post budget press conference at 90 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam.

Chairman P&D Irfan Elahi, Additional Chief Secretary Energy Jehanzeb Khan, Secretary Finance Muhammad Yousaf Sultan, Secretary Information Momin Agha, Secretary Excise & Taxation, Secretary Industries, Chairman Punjab Revenue Authority and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha said that tax net is being extended for increasing revenues of the province and such institutions or persons, not paying tax are being brought into tax net. She said that the aim of government is to complete public welfare and development projects and put no burden on common man. She said that GST is also being reduced from 16 percent to 10 percent.

She said that besides encouragement of youth, scholarships will be given to special persons especially the blind youth and their job quota is also being enhanced.

Finance Minister said another salient feature of the current budget is that budget has been increased for the provision of basic facilities to the people including health, education and provision of potable water while Rs. 166.13 billion which is 14 percent of the budget are being provided for health. She said that an amount of 11 billion rupees is being allocated in next financial year budget for the provision of potable water to the people.

She said that special steps are being taken for providing health facility to labourers and educational facility to their children. Besides, Rs. 10 billion have been allocated for different projects for the accommodations of the labourers in different cities of the province.

The Minister said that projects like Orange Line Train is being started in Lahore and metro bus in Multan for the provision of quality transport facilities to the people in different cities of the province. She said that a subsidy of five billion rupees is being given for the provision of cheap tractors to the farmers and 25 thousand tractors will be provided to the cultivators besides an amount of more than one billion rupees is being provided for agri implements to them.

She said that women are 50 percent of the population and more than 32 billion rupees have been allocated for their welfare. She said that 15 percent quota and relaxation of three years in age is being provided to women in government jobs. Moreover, vehicles will also be provided to them under Apna Rozgar Scheme, she added.

She said that legislation has also been made for the rights of women so that they could not be exploited.

Punjab government has provided various relaxations to the people of the province in the budget of financial year 2015-16 which include subsidy of ten billion rupees on wheat, Ramazan Package of five billion rupees, subsidy of 3.5 billion rupees on transport and allocation of 10.8 billion rupees for the provision of free medicines. Punjab government has set up Punjab Social Protection Authority for providing socio-economic protection to poor and low income people. This authority is starting its first project at a cost of two billion rupees under which scholarships will be given for the assistance of handicapped persons and their socio-economic rehabilitation.

Government will provide two billion rupees to Idara-e-Akhuwat for the provision of interest free loans under self employment scheme. Besides, health insurance will also be started with two billion rupees. Government is constructing child protection institute for safeguarding unattended and hapless children and under-construction institute at Rahim Yar Khan will be completed during the current month. Construction of institutions have been started in Bahawalpur and Sahiwal with a cost of 26 crore rupees besides Dar-ul-Amaans will be established for hapless women in Multan, Lodhran, Pakpattan, Kasur, Layyah, Hafizabad and Sheikhupura. Punjab government is paying special attention to welfare of special persons and 29 thousand special girl and boys are studying in 250 institutions of the province who are provided free residence, food, aid implements and uniform besides scholarships are also being provided to them.