Presiding over a meeting here on Saturday which reviewed the pace of progress on ongoing projects in the province, he said people were benefiting from mega development projects completed in the province and work was being carried out speedily on public welfare projects of billions of rupees in education, health and other sectors.
He said programmes like Daanish School, Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, distribution of laptops and encouragement of talented students were leaving a positive impact on the education sector.
He said all Daanish schools had been set up in backward areas for promoting quality education and these schools had opened doors of quality education to children of poor families.
Shehbaz Sharif said more than 150,000 less privileged talented students were studying with the help of the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund.
He said the Punjab government had diverted resources towards less developed areas as progress of these areas was priority of the government. He said after metro bus projects in Rawalpindi-Islamabad and Lahore, work was being carried out expeditiously on metro bus project in Multan and resources were being spent transparently and honestly on the welfare of the masses.
The chief minister said funds saved through austerity policy and economic discipline were being spent on welfare of the masses.
He said it was a basic responsibility of departments concerned to ensure timely completion of development schemes.
He said a third-party audit policy was being strictly implemented for ensuring transparency in development projects. Shehbaz Sharif said the Punjab government had saved billions of rupees of the nation by promoting culture of transparency and there was no other such example in the history of the country.
The chief minister said provision of potable water in rural areas would be ensured during next two years.
Shehbaz Sharif said Rs 150 billion were being spent on construction and rehabilitation of rural roads adding that provision of modern and speedy transport facilities to the people was top priority of the government and Orange Line Metro Train Project would change the transport culture in the province.