Balochistan CM orders quick completion of development schemes

Jam Kamal Khan says Balochistan govt has allocated a large amount of funds for all districts

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal has directed all the departments concerned to complete the development schemes initiated in the province within the given timeframe.

Presiding over a high level meeting in Quetta, he was apprised that 2,441 new uplift projects had been included in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of the current fiscal year.

Balochistan Chief Secretary Captain (retd) Fazeel Asghar, Additional Chief Secretary for Planning and Development Abdul Rehman Buzdar and secretaries of all departments attended the meeting.

“As compared with previous years, the current government has unveiled the highest volume of fiscal year’s budget and also managed the timely release of funds for development schemes,” Buzdar said and added “we have released 54% funds until January 2020”.

Sharing details of the agricultural development schemes, the agriculture secretary said the government had allocated Rs50 million for tunnel farming and Rs500 million for green tractor programme, while with the support of federal government, water courses were being upgraded.

The meeting also discussed the construction of libraries on Quetta’s Brewery Road and Airport Road with a cost of Rs150 million.

The chief minister was also briefed about the construction of rest house in Taftan under public-private partnership and was told that funds had been allocated for the renovation of historical sites in the province.

“Balochistan government has allocated a large amount of funds for all districts, while 77 schemes that have been initiated on priority basis would change the fate of the province,” Kamal said.

The session was informed that Rs400 million had been allocated for establishing 50 to 100 bed hospitals in Kalat, Chaman, Ghosabad and Khuda Badan, while a plan to establish residences for the doctors and health staff of Gwadar Civil Hospital was under consideration.

Kamal said the project would be helpful in boosting economic activities in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2020.