Rs3.5k per maund wheat price set
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced the immediate commencement of wheat procurement at Rs3,500 per maund and the provision of free gunny bags worth Rs6 billion to farmers across the province.
Registered farmers will be provided 10 bags per acre from the purchase centres.
Chairing a meeting to review wheat procurement, gunny bags distribution and the Green Tractor Scheme, the chief minister ordered that procurement from farmers be started without delay. It was decided in principle that wheat would be purchased on a priority basis from farmers holding Kissan Cards.
She ordered that payments to farmers must be ensured within 72 hours of procurement at the fixed rate of Rs3,500 per maund. Management committees will be formed at the provincial and divisional levels to monitor the procurement.
The participants were informed that 88 per cent of farmers had expressed confidence in the provincial government's agricultural initiatives. The CM also announced the launch of a "Work with Punjab government programme, under which agriculture graduates and others will be offered internship opportunities.
Officials said a record Rs100 billion in loans had been disbursed through the Kissan Card, with a recovery rate of 99%, while 900,000 farmers had been registered under the scheme. The chief minister directed authorities to continue the registration process.
It was shared that under the Green Tractor Scheme, a target of 30,000 tractors had been set, out of which 20,000 had been delivered to farmers. The scheme, along with agricultural mechanisation, is contributing to the growth of the local industry, with manufacturers in Daska engaged in producing harvesters.
Ring Road
Chairing a meeting to review major infrastructure projects, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved the SL-4 Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop project and sought weekly progress reports on road initiatives across the province.
She directed authorities to ensure timely and high-quality construction of the MultanVehari road. She was informed that the base and sub-base work on the province's first "dust-free road" had been completed, while asphalt laying was progressing rapidly.
Approval in principle was granted of Phase II of the Sialkot Ring Road from Wazirabad Road to Pasrur Road.
A Thal Expressway project linking Bhakkar and Layyah with the M-4 motorway was presented.
Progress on the Rawalpindi Signal-Free Corridor was reviewed. The project includes seven underpasses and an overhead bridge.
The chief minister directed that all ongoing road projects must be completed within stipulated timelines and sought weekly updates.
During the meeting, 133 ongoing projects under the chief minister's initiative were reviewed, along with 125 additional schemes. Overall, 2,143 road sector projects have been initiated across Punjab. So far, 376 projects have been completed, while work is under way on 86 others.
Under the Road Rehabilitation Programme Phase I, 85 schemes were launched, of which 38 have been completed and 47 are in progress. In Phase II, 43 schemes were initiated, with 18 completed and 25 under way.
The chief minister said over 12,000 kilometres of roads had been constructed or rehabilitated and special attention has been given to rural link roads, adding that improved road infrastructure would facilitate access from farms to markets and from factories to commercial centres.