Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reviewed the pace of progress on the ongoing development projects in the province and ordered officials to ensure their completion within the stipulated time.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that maintaining the standard and transparency of the development projects and their timely completion is the priority of the government, adding that special attention is being paid to uplift the backward areas under a balanced development policy. He said that people are benefiting from the mega development projects in the province.
The chief minister said that work is being carried out on public welfare projects of billions of rupees in education, health and other sectors. He said that programmes like Daanish School, Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, laptops distribution and encouragement of talented students are improving the education sector. He said that all Daanish schools have been set up in backward areas for promoting quality education and these schools have opened the doors of quality education to the children of the poor.
Shehbaz Sharif said that more than 100000 less-privileged talented students are getting education under Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, adding that the Punjab government has diverted the resources to the less developed areas as progress of these areas is priority of the government. He said that after the metro bus projects in Rawalpindi-Islamabad and Lahore, work is being carried out expeditiously on metro bus project in Multan and resources are being spent transparently and honestly for the welfare of the masses.
The chief minister said that the funds saved through austerity policy and economic discipline, are being spent on the welfare of masses, adding that the resources of the nation are being spent on the projects aimed at minimising the divide between the rich and the poor. He said that it is basic responsibility of the related departments to ensure timely completion of development schemes. He said that a third-party audit policy is being strictly implemented for ensuring transparency in the development projects.
Sharif said that Punjab government has saved billions of rupees of the nation by promoting culture of transparency and no such example is seen in the history of the country. He said that the development projects and programmes are being implemented to benefit the masses.
The chief minister said that provision of potable water in rural areas will be ensured during the next two years and Rs.70 billion is being spent on the programme. He said that the project of supplying potable water to the people has already been launched in South Punjab.
Shehbaz Sharif said that Rs.150 billion is being spent on construction and rehabilitation of roads of the rural areas. He said that provision of modern and speedy transport facilities to the people is top priority of the government and Orange Line Metro Train project will revolutionise the transport culture in the province, as the transport problems of common man will minimise with the completion of the project. He said that lifestyle of the poor will improve with the completion of the ongoing development projects.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Ministers Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Adviser on Economic Affairs Dr. Ejaz Nabi, Punjab chief secretary, Planning and Development Chairman and related secretaries. The secretary excise participated in the meeting through video link from DCO Office Rahim Yar Khan and Punjab Revenue Authority chairman from DCO Office Multan.