Rs 48 billion uplift projects executed in five years: Punjab chief minister

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that the Punjab government has executed development projects worth 481 billion rupees during the last five years, which include mega projects of 196 billion rupees and smaller development programmes of 285 billion rupees. He said that compared to the last government, six times more funds had been utilised on the welfare and prosperity of the people of south Punjab.
Only 52 billion rupees had been spent by the former rulers on the uplift of south Punjab, while the Punjab government of the Pakistan Muslim League-N had utilised 292 billion rupees for this purpose. He said that the foundation of a prosperous Punjab had been laid by implementing revolutionary reforms programmes including Daanish schools, laptop scheme, Ujala programme, Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, IT Labs, education of special children, internship programme, Punjab Youth Festival, healthcare programme, provision of free medicines in hospitals, development of agriculture and livestock sectors, model villages, Chief Minister self-employment scheme, land record computerisation system, Aashiyana housing scheme, construction of underpasses, bridges, repair and reconstruction of roads, solid waste management, development of transport sector, metro bus project, Wattan Cards and promotion of foreign investment in the province.
He was talking to Assembly Members of various districts during a meeting at Model Town Tuesday. The Chief Minister said that the five year tenure of the Punjab government reflected a high standard, and was transparent. He said that he was thankful to Allah Almighty that the Punjab government had completed its tenure of five years efficiently and honestly and that the co-operation of the assembly members had also been laudable. He said that the commitment, sincerity and determination of the Pakistan Muslim League-N government in the service to the people and raising their living standards during these years was a glorious example in the democratic history of the country. He said that development projects were completed expeditiously while a high standard was maintained. Transparency and merit had been the hallmark of the Punjab government. And that the third-party audit system has been introduced while the Punjab government had presented itself voluntarily to Transparency International Pakistan to judge the transparency of its three mega projects, including the metro bus project, Ujala programme, and laptop scheme worth more than 36 billion rupees and, Transparency International had certified the transparency of the Punjab government which was an honour. Sincere efforts had been made for the welfare of the people and development and progress of the province. No new vehicle had been imported for the Chief Minister's Secretariat nor by him for personal use and public funds had been treated as a sacred trust. His conscience was at peace, he said. The work culture had changed in Punjab and a new example had been set by working on development projects round the clock. He stated that special attention had been paid to the standard of construction of the metro bus project, bridges, underpasses and other development schemes while transparency had also been ensured. Even India was following the development projects of the Punjab government and had sought the co-operation of Punjab government in the solid waste management sector, while a laptop scheme had been launched in Uttar Pradesh he claimed.
The Chief Minister further stated that a meager amount of 11.8 billion rupees had been spent on the development sector in the five years tenure of the last government while the government of PML-N had utilised a hefty sum of 111.2 billion on the development of the agriculture sector during its tenure.