Govt announces three-phase development approach

Finance minister says first step to ensure best service delivery

LAHORE: Provincial Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht revealed that the development of Punjab and South Punjab would be divided into three phases each.

Concluding his speech on the “General Discussion on the Annual Budget 2019-20”, the minister said the government was going to initiate three projects in the coming fiscal year. He said the aim was to strengthen the industrial sector, which he claimed had been ruined by the previous government.

The PTI government divided the development of Punjab into three phases. He highlighted that the in the first phase, the aim is to provide the best service delivery for the masses residing in big cities. “These people will be provided relief from increasing traffic and pollution,” he said.

In the second phase, authorities will provide basic facilities to intermediate or medium-sized cities. To this end, the provincial government is initiating an urbanisation programme of five cities through an expenditure of Rs27 bilion at the initial level. In the third phase, small and rural areas, ignored by the previous government, will be given full attention.

Shedding light on South Punjab’s development, the minister said PTI will focus in the flourishing of economic activities and also provide basic facilities in the region. He continued that social and economic depravity would be converted into a development paradigm. He stressed that complete efforts would be made to provide the best education, health and clean drinking water facilities to south Punjab through a 35% allocation of the total budget. The minister stated that the larger allocation was part of the government’s regional equalisation initiative.

“Our first step is to improve human development indicators,” he maintained.   The second phase is to strengthen administration, adding this was the first time Rs3billion had been allocated for the secretariat of South Punjab. The third phase, he highlighted, would focus on legislation. Bakht said work was already under way on the third phase.

He held the PML-N government responsible of the ongoing economic crisis. He said PTI’s regime had to face the current deficit in the textile and industrial sector due to the flawed polices of the previous regime. The deficit of the overall current account, he said, had run into billions.

He slammed Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif’s speech in which the latter pointed out that the dollar rate was hitting the sky. He asked about steps taken by the previous regime to increase the dollar’s supply. “How has the gap between demand and supply widened? What policies did the previous government introduce to increase in export?”

To strengthen the industrial sector, the government is going to launch three projects such as a credit guarantee, loan markup scheme and entrepreneur scheme. Talking about infrastructural or mega projects, he said public finance is always used for the development of social sector or social protection. He said the PTI government has decided to complete big projects through public-private partnership, based on innovative financing.

In terms of agriculture, Bakht said the Punjab government was going to provide benefits for farmers through the “Prime Minister National Agriculture Emergency Programme”. The initiative was introduced by Imran Khan after coming into power last year.

He added that after instructions from the PM, the Punjab chief minister cut entertainment expenses 60 %. “We tightened our belts and cut expenses through austerity measures to provide the best facilities to the public.”

Bakht pointed out that record allocations have been earmarked for the education and health sectors. “Perhaps we believe that the masses deserve facilities on a priority basis rather than the previous government’s projects which were initiated merely to show off.”

Meanwhile, the treasury also managed to get two demands for grants passed by rejecting as many cut motions, introduced by the opposition, with a simple majority. The house was adjourned till 3pm on Tuesday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2019.