The Punjab government has decided to allocate 80 percent of the next budget, which will be around Rs 200 billion, to ongoing development projects under the Annual Development Programme (ADP).
Development funds will also be allocated according to population ratio in the southern Punjab. It was decided in the high level meeting on the development budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2013-14. The meeting was presided over by the Punjab Planning and Development Department (P&D) Chairman Board Sohail Ahmad. The meeting was attended by P&D Secretary Arif Anwar Baloch, senior representatives of the P&D, including provincial administrative secretaries, project directors and other high officials from various departments.
According to sources, Chief Minister Punjab Najam Sethi has also directed the P&D chairman to release funds for completion of ongoing development programmes. They said from Rs160 billion to Rs.170 billion would be available especially for development projects during the upcoming fiscal year. According to these figures, the provincial government will primarily focus on the sectors of health, irrigation and energy. The Punjab government will also focus on the matters of waste water treatment plant and deduction in stagnant waste water ponds in the rural areas during the upcoming fiscal year.
Under Sethi’s directions, the Punjab government will provide sufficient funds to complete the projects in the energy sector to produce electricity at various canals. Moreover, development funds are being allocated to construct buildings and improve jails across the Punjab.
