New fiscal budget: Gearing-up for city’s development schemes

Punjab govt asks Rawalpindi public representatives to submit details of projects.

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has asked the ruling party’s public representatives in Rawalpindi to submit details of the development schemes in their respective constituencies for the new fiscal year budget.

A Member of the National Assembly (MNA) can avail a maximum budget of Rs34 million, while a Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) can avail Rs32 million for development work in his constituency in the new fiscal year, stated a press release issued by the Directorate of Punjab Information on Saturday. Moreover, MPAs will be supplemented with Rs8 million for development schemes in their constituencies under the Punjab Development Programme (PDP), it added.

In a joint meeting of MNAs, MPAs and government officers held at the commissioner’s office in Rawalpindi, it was decided that the development schemes can be on clean water projects (water filtration plants), up-gradation of government high schools, provision of missing facilities in primary and elementary schools, paving farm-to-market roads and elevation of government high schools to model schools, in which multi-purpose laboratories and other modern educational equipments will be provided.

Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar informed the meeting that Rs7.5 million will be allocated for building model schools in every constituency, Rs11.5 million for the provision of missing facilities in primary and elementary schools, and Rs7.5 million for clean water projects.

He said that furniture worth Rs80 million will be provided to government schools during the summer break and that elected representatives will supervise the distribution of furniture to facilitate the students.

The DCO asked the MNAs and MPAs to submit details of their respective schemes for approval to the District Development Committee at the earliest so that the funds can be allocated in the beginning of new fiscal year.

Senator Begum Najma Hameed, MNAs Malik Shakil Awan and Malik Ibrar Ahmed, MPAs Sheryar Riaz, Chaudhary Ayyaz, Raja Fayyaz Sarwar, Shaukat Aziz Bhatti, Raja Tariq Kiani, Col (retd) Shabbir Awan and Qamarul Islam, NA-50 Coordinator Hafiz Usman Abbasi, PML (N) leaders Raja Atique Sarwar and Chaudhary Umar Farooq, Executive Distinct Officer (EDO) Works Muhammad Azam, EDO Agriculture Hameedullah Shah and EDO Health Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal were also present at the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2011.