Rs 30 billion set aside for pro-poor initiatives

The Punjab government has set aside Rs 30 billion in the budget for 2011-12 for pro-poor initiatives, including Ramazan Package, public transport, and wheat subsidy. According to 2011-12 budget documents, an allocation of Rs 30,000 million has been made for subsidies and pro-poor initiatives in financial year against the budget estimates of Rs 21,000 million in financial year 2010-11.
Allocation of Rs 6.3 billion has been made for provision of free medicines in public sector hospitals (Rs 5 billion) and dietary charges for prisoners in the jails of Punjab (Rs 1.3 billion).
Under the Punjab Education Sector Reform Project, provision of Rs 4.7 billion has been made for disbursement of stipends to girls, free textbooks and management of public sector schools, through school councils.
The Punjab government has made major allocations for Hospital Services, which include current expenditures on autonomous medical institutions. The allocation for major Teaching/Tertiary Care Hospitals has been increased to Rs 23,535.538 million in FY 2011-12 against Rs 20,135.792 million in FY 2010-11. In line with the policy of the present government to provide free medicines, disposables and provision of dialysis facilities in public sector hospitals, an increase of approximately Rs 3,399.746 million has been adopted in FY 2011-12 in comparison with the budget estimates of FY 2010-11. An amount of Rs 8,500.000 million has been made available in FY 2011-12 under Punjab Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Program.
Advisor tto Chief Minister Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, chairing a meeting of the committee to review the price and export of wheat here on Wednesday said that Punjab government would provide subsidy of Rs 4 billion under Ramazan Package to the poor during fiscal year 2011-12, while all necessary steps would be taken to keep the prices of wheat and atta at reasonable level.
He said that Punjab government is spending huge amount to provide relief to poor during current fiscal year while in coming fiscal year, Rs 30 billion would be spent for various schemes for poor.
The meeting also reviewed price and export of wheat in detail and expressed satisfaction that Punjab government has sufficient stock of wheat for which price of wheat and atta are stable in the market. Provincial Minister for Food Abdul Ghafoor, MPA Zaeem Hussain Qadri, Chairman Planning and Development Board, Secretary Finance, Secretary Food and other concerned officers attended the meeting.