Staff Reporter
Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that wrong policies of the former government resulted in payable amount of billions of rupees, heavy debts, devastated infrastructure, worst conditions in education and the health sectors in Punjab. The journey of development was remained limited to the hollow slogans in past regimes and backward areas were deprived from the development and their backwardness continued to increase.
PTI government has first time started implementation on the equal development policy and evolved a comprehensive plan for the development of backward areas despite of limited resources. He further maintained that first time it has been decided to make private sector active in the development activities keeping in view the needs of the people. Public-private partnership authority is being established for this purpose.
The Chief Minister said that Punjab is an agricultural province and new agriculture policy has been implemented for facilitating the cultivators and increasing in their agri produce. Under new agriculture policy Procurement Information Management System, Human Resource Information System and Mandi apps have been introduced. Moreover under National Agriculture Emergency special measures are being taken for improvement in water channels, small dams in barani areas, promoting oil-producing crops and increasing rice and sugarcane produce. He said that with the cooperation of Asian Development Bank Model Auction Markets are also being introduced.
Similarly, providing interest free loans to the farmers and subsidy on agri inputs, insurance schemes for crops have also been started. He said that according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and in order to increase the milk and meat produce in Punjab, Punjab Animal Health Act 2019 is being introduced and Cholistan University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences has been established in Bahawalpur. Similarly, mobile veterinary dispensary for tribal and far-flung areas is an inventive project of PTI government.
He said that government is launching a project for protecting the calves and poultry schemes in rural areas. He said that Water Policy and Punjab Water Act 2019 is the prominent initiatives of PTI government. He said that in order to provide clean drinking water to the residents of Rawalpindi, Dadocha Dam and a dam for district Chakwal would be established. Similarly, Islam barrage situated at River Satluj will be expanded as a result of which water would be made available to ten lakh acre of land. He said that lining project of more than one thousand miles long water channels would also be completed with a cost of Rs. 9.5 billion.
He said that abundant water will be made available for the irrigation with the completion of construction and expansion of four major canals of Punjab. He said that construction work at Greater Ther Canal Chobara Branch is being expedited similarly work is being carried out on the upgradtion of Trimu and Punjnad Barrage.
He said that completion of Jalalpur Canal Project will result in providing water to the 2.25 lakh residence of Jhelum and Khushab and one lakh 60 thousand acres of land. PTI government despite difficult economic circumstances are fulfilling their promise of public service according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. We are the custodian of the national exchequer and people’s money would be spent for their welfare, the Chief Minister added.
