‘Punjab expects more development budget’

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said despite being the largest province in terms of population, Punjab has been given less share in the development budget.

“The province expects due share from the centre in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) budget,” he insisted.

Attending a meeting of the Planning Commission’s (PC) meeting to review progress on mega projects on Wednesday, the chief minister underlined that all provincial development schemes are devised keeping in view the public needs and problems. Transparency and timely completion of these projects should be ensured.

He highlighted that a district development package was being chalked out while considered the local needs and problems of common citizens. The meeting took stock of mega projects in the current financial year's PSDP budget in Punjab and stressed their timely completion.

The participants were also briefed about livestock, primary health, education, industry and food security issues. The commission necessitated the need for timely completion of small dams construction projects.

The development schemes relating to the irrigation department came under discussion and the meeting also held a review of roads reconstruction, expansion and dual carriageways projects in the province of Punjab.

The need for improving the link and partnership between the federal government and Punjab was accentuated by the participants for development projects. PC Deputy Chairman Jehanzeb Khan said hurdles in the completion of the federal government's ongoing development schemes should be removed and added that megaprojects should be decided in the PSDP budget keeping in view the welfare and rehabilitation of the people of Punjab.

Cooperation will be extended for timely completion of the water-drainage project in Punjab, he assured.