PM Imran Khan. PHOTO: PTI
OUR CORRESPONDENT: 14 District Council Chairmen from Punjab met Prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday and announced their joining of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The local representatives held a consultative meeting with Punjab Minister for Local Government and Community Development Abdul Aleem Khan and decided to formerly join the PTI. They included Zahid Nazir from Faisalabad, Babar Sial from Jhang, Raza Sargana from Khanewal, Mohiuddin Chisti from Vehari, Qalandar Shah from Bahawalnagar and Ahmad Nawaz Noorani from Bhakkar.
Besides, Dilshad Qureshi from Bahawalpur, Saqlain Sanjka from Chiniot, Umar Olakh from Layyah, Umar Gopang from Muzaffargarh, Saleem Sukhera from Pakpattan and Ameer Haidar Sangha from Khushab district have also altered joined them in the decision.
According to sources, the local bodies representatives have hailed the PTI government’s steps during its first 100 days in office for the development at the grassroots level. They said that within the first 100 days, the Punjab government had set a pace to achieve the destination of Naya Pakistan.
The major steps in the rural and urban areas of the province included retrieval of around 100,000 acres of government land from illegal occupation, plantation of 12.23 million saplings and collection and disposal of 615,625 tonnes of waste.
According to a presentation given to Prime Minister Imran Khan during his day-long visit to Lahore recently, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar-led provincial government was in process of expanding health insurance cards to all the 36 districts.
To revamp the local government system, the province would have a two-tier structure, comprising Tehsil and village tiers in rural, while metropolitan or municipal tier as upper and neighborhood councils as lower tier in urban areas would be introduced.
The provincial government has allocated around 30% of its Annual Development Plan (ADP) for revamping the local government system. The first-ever Punjab Water Policy has been drafted as well as a provincial master plan that focuses on water conservation.
According to the presentation, the government is planning to build five mother and child healthcare hospitals in Attock, Rajanpur, Bahawalnagar, Mianwali and Layyah. Through a five-year education strategy, the government will launch a School Health and Nutrition Programme.
The steps by Women Development Department in 100 days included the establishment of Punjab Women Hostels Regulatory Authority, direct subsidy to low-income working women, expansion of Punjab Day Care Fund and the launch of Gender Champions Advocacy Campaign.
Among other steps taken by the provincial government in first 100 days, included campaign against electricity theft, upgradation of 14,000 kilometers of the farm-to-market roads and a plan for a 'mega sports initiative' to focus on the construction of playgrounds in Punjab. APP
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