LAHORE: Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the Punjab government is fully committed to the development and prosperity of the southern Punjab, adding that poverty alleviation from South Punjab is the top priority of the government.
He was talking to the public representatives belonging to the southern Punjab on Wednesday.
He said that development works started by the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government have no resemblance in the past as the development projects worth billions of rupees for southern Punjab are given priority in the provincial budget 2017-18.
It is for the first time that a colossal sum of Rs.213 billion has been earmarked for the southern Punjab which would herald a new period of development and prosperity in the southern part of the province, he said.
The chief minister said that a mega project of provision of clean drinking water has been provided at a cost of Rs 25 billion and this programme would be consecutively started from all the tehsils of southern Punjab. This programme would be completed in the beginning of 2018.
He said that a huge amount of Rs 45 billion has been fixed for different development works in Bahawalpur division and told that safe city project will also be started in Multan and Bahawalpur districts.
The chief minister said that Zawar-e-Taleem Programme has been introduced to mitigate the problems being faced by girls belonging to less developed areas in their studies. The Khadim-e-Punjab Ujala Programme will be commenced from the schools situated in southern Punjab and thousands of educational institutions will be provided energy through solar panels.
He said that sixteen additional mobile health units will also provide healthcare facilities to the people there and told that Punjab government is in the process to acquire hundred more mobile health units.
Shehbaz said that a state-of-the-art hospital has been established in Bahawalpur. He said that billions of rupees are being utilised for construction and rehabilitation of rural roads under Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Roads Programme and expressed the satisfaction that this programme has helped to improve the rural economy by improving public access.