Punjab Budget To Ensure Composite Development: Dr Firdous

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that Punjab budget 2021-22 depicts public aspirations

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that Punjab budget 2021-22 depicts public aspirations.

While commenting on the annual budget of Punjab for the financial year 2021-22, she said that the people were long awaiting such financial policy to ensure composite development and prosperity in the province.

Dr Firdous said that all the previous budgets were aimed at benefiting a particular segment of society and the poor strata were ignored in the past. The past governments fully exploited the poor and the needy through exploitative policies, she said.

The Special Assistant said the PTI government had to clean the dust of past corruption for two long years and it worked hard to get rid of the maladministration of the past. Due to it, no substantial relief was arranged for the people initially but the duo of Prime Minister Imran Khan and CM Usman Buzdar had burnt the midnight oil to improve the sagging economy, she added. Today, the PTI government had come to a position to present a public-friendly budget to bring change at the grassroots, she said.

Dr Firdous said this budget would change the destiny of the people while strengthening the economy. The colossal 560 billion development budget would ensure composite development in the province and a 35 percent share would be given to South Punjab, she added. She said the development-oriented budget would open new avenues of development and prosperity in the province.

The SACM said that Rs 54 billion had been allocated in the budget for the education sector to implement the manifesto of the PTI government.

She said that more than Rs 31 billion had been allocated for the agriculture sector whereas Rs 98 billion had been allocated for the health sector, which would consequently revolutionize the health sector. By the end of this year, every citizen of Punjab would get a health card through which they would be able to get quality health facilities and issues related to the health sector would be minimized significantly, she said.

Dr Firdous said that more than Rs 18 billion had been allocated for water supply and sewerage, Rs 27 billion had been earmarked for planning and development and Rs 10 billion for the initiatives related to economic development. She said the government had allocated more than Rs 58 billion for road infrastructure, more than Rs 30 billion for irrigation, more than Rs 5 billion for the energy sector and more than Rs 19 billion for government buildings.

The Special Assistant said the government had allocated more than Rs 30 billion for urban development and Rs 5 billion for livestock and dairy development. Likewise, the government had allocated more than Rs 1.5 billion for women development and social welfare, more than Rs 6 billion for sports and youth affairs and last but not the least more than Rs 16 billion for the transport sector, she added. She said that a significant increase in budget allocation for all sectors was going to lead Punjab to progress, prosperity and development.