Lahore, July 01, 2021 (PPI-OT):Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar said that he is thankful to Almighty Allah for the honour of presenting the 3rd budget of the PTI government in the new Punjab assembly building. The budget has been passed amicably, having no resemblance in any other assembly. The CM also thanked Speaker Ch. Pervaiz Elahi, Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, law minister, ministers and members from treasury and opposition benches as everyone have played their role in budget approval. Punjab Budget 2021-22 is the best statement in which every sector of life is well taken care of. It is a relief-oriented budget and the finance minister and his team deserve accolades. The credit of success goes to PM Imran Khan and I also pay tribute to the strong role played by the Pak army, NCOC, police, health minister and her team, chief secretary and others, he added.

While delivering his keynote address at the concluding meeting of the budget session at the Punjab assembly on Wednesday. The CM said when the PTI came into power in 2018, it inherited a throw forward of 1300 billion rupees and 4000 incomplete projects. Meanwhile, different cheques worth 56 billion were bounced due to lack of cash in the government kitty; the Punjab government took an overdraft of 41 billion, he said.

The past governments also left many incomplete projects including the Punjab assembly building, Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology and Orange Line Metro Train, Trimmu Thermal Power Project, Pakpattan Hydro Power Project, Marala Hydro Power Project and PKLI. Meanwhile, I constituted technical and cabinet committees on January 26, 2020, after the outbreak of the corona pandemic in China and immediate preparations were started. People were afraid when corona patients were brought to Punjab from Taftan, he said. More than 25 crore people were affected globally while 346036 were affected in Punjab and 10740 also lost their lives.

Some people compare corona with dengue which is incorrect. We constituted a team and devised policies to save the province from economic crunch, he said. PM Imran Khan encouraged the Punjab government and gave guidelines. This tenure was full of difficulties and impediments and lockdowns were imposed to improve the situation.

The CM said the present budget is the best. It is the largest development budget and a 66 percent increase has enhanced it to 560 billion. Meanwhile, 25 percent special permission was approved from grade 1 to 19 employees to remove disparity in their salaries. All the employees are also given a ten percent Adhoc allowance. He said 185 percent increase in the development budget on health, 286 percent in higher education, 29 percent in school education, 306 percent in agriculture and 307 percent increase is made in the industry department.

A 24.7 percent increase is recorded in PRA’s receipts and more than 18 percent increase is achieved in the target of excise tax collections. He said that 400 percent increase is made in minorities’ budget and a 35 percent budget is reserved for south Punjab which is equal to 189 billion rupees. Similarly, 56 percent increase in the development budget of the energy department, 76 percent increase in irrigation, 70 percent in the road sector, 194 percent in livestock and 102 percent increase is made in the local government budget. He said that the district development package is introduced and the south Punjab budget is ring-fenced. Punjab is the only province whose tax revenue target is surplus.

The CM said that the pat governments started the Trimmu thermal power project without financial close. The PTI government succeeded in a 108 billion financing facility without a sovereign guarantee from local banks to complete this project. The CM regretted work on the new Punjab assembly building was delayed for 15 years but the PTI government got it completed through 2.5 billion funding. Similarly, the Wazirabad institute of cardiology which was lying pending for the last 15 years has been completed with an amount of 3.5 billion and 6.5 lakh patients have been treated.

He said Lahore was given projects worth 67 billion during the 3rd year of the previous government excluding the orange line metro train but this government chalked out development projects of 86 billion rupees in its 3rd year. Surfaced wastewater treatment plants and underground tanks are being made in Lahore to store rainwater. Meanwhile, Dilkash Lahore, elected buses project, 1000 bed new general hospital, mother and child block in Ganga Ram Hospital and Children University Lahore are the some of the schemes designed for Lahore along with them, the CM said 25000 apartments project under LDA city, Shahkam Chowk overhead bridge, Ghulab Devi hospital underpass and Sheranwala overhead bridge are being constructed in Lahore.

A world-class bus terminal at Thokar Niaz Baig, Lawyers Tower, Food and Drug Laboratory and Local Government Academy is also being set up in Lahore. The scope of LDA has been limited to Lahore to improve its service delivery. The government has decided in principle to administratively divide Lahore and a decision will be made soon because of the population increase, he added.

The CM presented a comparison of 3 years of development of the PTI government with fudge development figures of the previous tenures. He said a 360 billion district development package is given, the foundation stone of the south Punjab secretariat is laid in Multan and another south Punjab secretariat will be established in Bahawalpur. Rules of business of south Punjab secretariat has been finalized and will be notified soon. He disclosed in-principle approval has been given to reserve 32 percent quota in provincial jobs for south Punjab youth and a proposal is under consideration to include Mianwali and Bhakkar in this quota which would then increase to 35 percent.

He regretted that the south Punjab budget was spent on other projects in the past and only 17 percent of the budget was reserved for south Punjab. He said that a 118 percent increase is made in the overall health budget during three years and 369 billion is reserved in the new financial year. 1.5 billion is given for procurement of corona vaccine and 677 vaccination centres are set up. He said the volume of the health budget in 2018-19 was 169 billion. He said that every family will get annual free treatment of 7.20 lakh rupees through the universal health insurance programme which had already started from DG Khan and Sahiwal divisions. Mother and child hospitals are being set up in Rajanpur, Layyah Attock, Bahawalnagar and Sialkot, Multan, Mianwali.

This hospital will also be constructed in DG Khan. Nishter-II hospital in Multan, Sheikh Zaid Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan and cardiology institute in dg khan. He said emergencies of Rahim Yar Khan, Sargodha and Bahawalpur hospitals are being upgraded along with the up-gradation of the thalassemia unit and bone marrow transplant centre of PVH hospital. He said the PTI government has completed PKLI and new DHQ hospitals are being built in Chiniot, Hafizabad and Chakwal while cardiology units are being set up in Bhakkar and Bahawalnagar hospitals.

The cardiology unit of teaching hospital Sahiwal is being upgraded and the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology is being completed. WAH THQ hospital is given the status of THQ and THQ hospitals Taxila is being upgraded. He said general hospitals Faisalabad will be completed next year. It has been decided to set up 40 new trauma centres and 26 existing non-functional trauma centres will be made functional as well. He said the government has recruited 32000 doctors and paramedics while past government recruited 18000 in the first 3 years, He said a 442.1 billion budget is reserved for education and more than 17000 teachers have benefited from e-reforms.

He said the government has established 6 universities and approval is given to establish 9 more universities. Similarly, universities will be set up in Sheikhupura, DG Khan, Bahawalnagar, Toba Tek Singh, Muzaffargarh and Kasur. The Rehmatul Lil Alameen scholarship was started, and the past government established only 7 universities. 160 colleges have been upgraded and 75 new colleges of previous tenures have been completed. The PTI has upgraded 1533 schools and 8360 schools will be upgraded in 2021-22. Overall more than 27000 schools will be upgraded. The past government upgraded 1330 schools in 5 years. The PTI government fixed wheat support price 1800 and a 28.57 percent increase was witnessed in wheat production.

The past government froze wheat support price at 1300 for five years which hampered wheat production. The PTI government fixed Rs. 200 sugar care support price and farmer-friendly reforms were made. Sugar cane farmers earned 102 billion additional income and the government gave 4 billion subsidies through Kisan card schemes. The total volume of the PM agri package is 51.9 billion rupees. 4.8 billion rupees are fixed for model markets and 337 sahulat bazaars are set up along with the establishment of sahulat bazar authority.

The CM said work on the great Thal Canal, Chobara Canal Branch will be started from this year with a cost of 20 billion. Work on 32 billion Jalalpur canal is started and restoration and up-gradation of Islam Barrage, Trimmun and Panjnad Barrage have been completed. He said Dedocha and Ghabeer dams are under construction in Pothohar while work on Papeen Dam will start from next year. A feasibility report is being prepared for the construction of 4 more dams in Koh-e-Suleman, he said. Work is in progress in the supply and drainage of the water project in Sialkot and Sahiwal under PICIIP in collaboration with ADB with a cost of 27 billion rupees and integrated master planning is in process in 7 more cities under phase 2 of this project.

Development projects will be started in Rawalpindi, Multan, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh Rahim Yar khan and DG Khan and municipal services are being improved in 16 districts under the Punjab cities programme. He said that 89 billion rupees will be spent on the supply and drainage of water, toilets, wastewater treatment plant in 16 tehsils under Punjab rural sustainable water supply and project. He said that 215 billion has been spent on the construction of the orange line metro train project while it carries 66 crores monthly expenditures. The monthly income is 6.9crore and annually 8 billion subsidies are given. The number of passengers was shown.

2.55 lakh in feasibility report while 50000 to 60000 passengers aboard this train. He said payment of instalment of 13 billion loans will start from 2023. He said that 100 billion is reserved for overall road infrastructure and mega projects worth 73 billion are included in PSDP to dualise 13 roads. He said that 1769 road projects will be started in the new financial year and 100 billion rupees is fixed for this. 13 road construction projects will be started in PPP more.

He said houses will be given in 146 tehsils under the peri-urban adorable scheme and 10000 houses will be constructed this year in 37 tehsils in phase 1. He said 94 shelter homes and almonries have been set up and the government has provided ten billion rupees for 2.5 lakh affected families in Ehsaas Programme under Insaf Imdad Programme. He said 500 more sports grounds will be constructed and tehsils sports complexes will be constructed in 15 tehsils. High-performance centres will be set up for cricket and hockey. 13000 policemen have nee recruited, 54 more police stations have been constructed and 550 new vehicles are provided with two billion rupees.

37 police khidmat centres are set up in remote areas and provision of land is completed for 100 new police stations. The CM said rescue 1122 has been made a department, 258 new ambulances are purchased, service structure is devised and 1350 motorbike ambulances are also being given. Emergency services will be started in 86 tehsils this year. He said rescue air ambulance service will also be started in Punjab this year and funds are allocated in the budget. All brick kilns have been transferred to zig-zag technology. 200 electric buses run in Lahore and air quality monitoring systems and environment monitoring centres have been established. He said NOCs are issued for ten cement plants and approval of more cement plants is being completed speedily. 12 cement plants were working for 70 years but not a single cement plant was constructed in the previous tenure.

The CM said 12 special new economic zones are constructed and 4 industrial estates are being given the status of special economic zones. He said the Punjab Rozgar programme has been started in collaboration with BOP and soft loans are being provided for small and medium enterprises. The CM said three technical universities have been established and legislation is in the final phase for Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology, DG Khan. PUT Rasool, Mandi Bahauddin and PUT Rawalpindi. Tianjin University is also making it functional. He said a 33.3 percent increase is made in the minimum wage of labourers and it is increased to 20000 per month. For three years.

He said the new labour housing allotment policy 2021 enforced and labourers are being given houses with ownership rights. The mines department deposited ten billion non-tax revenue while its average tax revenue never increased from 4.3 billion in the past. 10750 primary schools have been transferred to solar technology and the rate of 100-megawatt solar projects in Layyah/Chobara is 3.2 cents per unit. He said that Pakpattan Hydro Power Project and Marala Hydro Power Project have been completed on a war footing basis and a programme is started to supply off-grid electricity to backward areas with a cost of one billion.

60 Arazi card centres have been made functional at the level of ‘kanoon goi’ along with 20 mobile vans Arazi record centres. 20 more mobile van Arazi centres will be established next year. 807 rural revenue centres have been set up and 8000 more rural revenue centres will be set up in every revenue circle. He said 5000 revenue officers are being recruited and jail reforms are being introduced to provide missing facilities. He said 180 lakh acre land is retrieved 458 billion and direct recovery of 2.35 billion is made in 3 years along with indirect recovery of 26 billion.

The ACE has made a recovery of 43 crores in ten years. a 245 percent increase is recorded in revenue of Punjab house Islamabad. 46 meetings of the cabinet have been held and 45 percent decreases are made in expenditures of the CM office. Only 19 cabinet meetings were held during the three years of the previous government. The CM said he conducted double visits as compared with the previous year in three years and conducted 135 tours.

I have visited all the provinces and cultural days of Balochistan and Sindh are celebrated in Punjab to promote inter-provincial harmony. The Punjab government is completing a hospital in Turbat, technical college in Kharan and rescue services in Mosa Khel in addition to different development projects in various areas of Balochistan. Ambulances and medical equipment are given to Balochistan, KPK and GB and IDAP is allowed to provide services at the request of the KPK government and federal government. The Walled City of Lahore Authority is working to restore hospital places in Balochistan and Punjab.

Rescue 1122 has provided training to 1456 rescuers of Balochistan AJK and GB. The CM also announced 3 months honorarium equivalent to three months’ salary for Punjab assembly, law, finance and P and D board employees. The government is following the vision of providing equal opportunity to every citizen for development and Punjab will continue to move forward, concluded the CM.

For more information, contact:

Office of the Chief Minister of Punjab

8-Club Road, GOR-I, Lahore, Pakistan

Tel: +92-42-99205562-3

Fax: +92-42-99205561

Website: https://cm.punjab.gov.pk/