Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that all resources are being utilized for rapid development of the province and welfare of masses while timely and transparent completion of development projects is government’s priority agenda.
“Special attention is being paid to uplift of rural areas and substantial funds have been allocated for this purpose during current fiscal year,” he added. He was presiding over a high level meeting regarding implementation of different projects under special packages during 2010-11 and priorities and timeframe for development schemes for the year 2011-12, on Sunday.
He also issued instructions for setting up a committee comprising experts headed by Chief Secretary to select three districts which showed better performance regarding implementation of development projects and utilization of funds under special packages during 2010-11. Shahbaz Sharif said development of backward areas and bringing them at par with the developed ones was among the priorities of the government.
Besides other districts, he said, funds worth Rs 500 million have been allocated each for Sargodha, Chiniot and Attock and Rs 250 million for Mandi Bahauddin under districts packages programme for the current fiscal year. The CM further said that the project of Model Bazaars had been started for the provision of quality essential items to the people under a clean atmosphere and the first model bazaar in Lahore has already been inaugurated.
Earlier, Planning and Development Secretary Ali Tahir gave a detailed briefing regarding implementation of development projects under special packages during 2010-11. He also announced cash prizes worth Rs 50,000 each for district coordination officers of Hafizabad and Gujrat and Rs 30,000 for DCO of Rahim Yar Khan.
Senior Adviser Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Provincial Ministers Ch Abdul Ghafoor, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Kamran Michael, Ehsan ud Din Qureshi, Member National Assembly Bilal Yaseen, Sardar Iyaz Sadiq, chief secretary, secretaries of different departments and divisional commissioner attended the meeting.
