Rs47 billion released for projects in Punjab

Lahore: The Finance Department, Government of the Punjab, has released PKR 47 billion which were earmarked for 3605 development projects under District Development Program across the province for the financial year 2021-2022. This release is part of the historic District Development Package of Rs. 360 billion announced earlier this year by the Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar, as part of a balanced district development strategy to redress the grievances of all districts on equitable grounds. Commenting on equitable distribution of funds, Hashim Jawan Bakht, Minister for Finance, said, “The provincial government is pursuing a development agenda based on equitable growth for all districts throughout the province. The District Development Program is at the core of addressing inequality of opportunities for less developed districts not only in terms of social inclusion, but also at bringing them at par with the rest of the province. Urban centers are also not discriminated against and Lahore gets 234 projects under this programme." It is pertinent to mention here that out of the top ten districts with the highest uplift projects seven are from South Punjab, where the indicators for poverty, health, education and infant mortality have been dismal. Moreover, the District Development Package dispenses off the widely held perception that large budgetary allocations of development funds are concentrated in specific areas only. Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Secretary Finance, informed that all projects were identified after a very comprehensive and inclusive process. ‘’Recommendations from wide range of stakeholders at the district level were taken into account, setting out a more inclusive and evidence-based approach towards allocating funds for these projects at the grass root level,’’ he added. The Finance Department, Government of the Punjab Government, is providing requisite funds for implementation of public needs projects under the District Development Program on priority.