Punjab budget 2021-22: CM reviews salient features, uplift projects under ADP

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday held a detailed meeting, to review the salient features of the Punjab budget 2021-22 as well as priorities and development projects in different sectors under the Annual Development Program (ADP).

The CM directed to make budget welfare oriented and said that special attention would be paid on the welfare of the deprived segment of the society. The budget of Punjab government will be public, cultivators, industrialist and workers friendly and will bring good news, he said.

He said that government is ensuring to provide maximum relief to the common man in the coming budget. He directed for sustainable measures in the next fiscal year budget to facilitate all walks of life. He also directed to keep the ADP realistic under the vision of composite development in the province. He also directed to allocate more resources for health sector in the wake of recent Corona pandemic.

He said that priority would be given to education, infrastructure, and transport sectors besides ensuring provision of clean drinking water as well as development of other social sectors. He said that the new fiscal year budget should reflect the development of the province and the well-being of the people in a true sense instead of statistics. He further directed to focus on the austerity, savings and financial discipline in the forthcoming budget.

Usman Buzdar further maintained that the scope of projects of public-welfare would be extended under the Public-Private Partnership and unnecessary expenditure would be further reduced. No extra burden would be placed in the budget on the impecunious strata.

He said that salaries of provincial employees have been increased by 25 percent and will be further increased in the budget. He said that all possible steps will be taken to increase the revenue.

The CM said that Federal government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan has presented the best budget in which special relief has been provided to the deprived segment of the society. For the first time in history, tax relief of billions of rupees has been given to different sectors.

Moreover, the CM has called a meeting of provincial parliamentary party on Sunday (today).

Provincial ministers and members Punjab Assembly will participate in the meeting. The parliamentary party will be briefed about important features of the budget of the new fiscal year 2021-22 and also finalise strategy regarding budget session of Punjab Assembly.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021