Punjab CM office statement shows 40% cut in expenditure

The Chief Minister’s Office has released a comparative statement of the tenures of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar for the financial year 2020-21 and Shehbaz Sharif (the financial year 2017-18) indicating mercilessly wasting of resources.

During the financial year 2017-18, the overall non-salary expenditures were Rs238 million while the overall expenditures (non-salary) of CMO amounted to Rs144 millions during 2020-21. Thus, a 40%-reduction was noted in the overall expenditures (non-salary) in the tenure of incumbent CM Usman Buzdar.

It showed that Rs42.4 million were spent on the repair of vehicles in 2017-18 and only Rs15 million have been appropriated in 2020-21 for the repair of official vehicles, registering a 65% decrease.

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Shehbaz Sharif government spent Rs80.99 million on entertainment and gifts in 2017-18 while only Rs44 million were utilised in 2020-21 which is 51% less than the previous government.

Similarly, 372,000 litres petrol, mobile oil, diesel was used for vehicles in 2017-18 while 225,000 litres petrol, mobile oil/diesel were used in 2020-21. This recorded a 40% saving in vehicles’ fuel.

Buzdar said the culture of political jugglery and lavish spendings has been done away with, not only in CMO but the whole of the province.

The past government wasted public money without any justification while the PTI government is the custodian of every penny, he stressed.

People have first right over resources than the elite of the society. Regrettably, the elite and the mafias played havoc with the country in the past but the PTI has eliminated this plunder and the construction and repair of personal residences in the name of security has also been abolished, concluded the CM.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^h, 2021.