ADB to expand social development support

CM highlights focus on agricultural financing, cold-chain facilities

LAHORE:

Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Ying Ming Yang has agreed to expand cooperation with Punjab in the clean drinking water, agriculture, technical skills, health and education sectors.

The understanding was reached during a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the ADB vice president.

The leaders discussed ADB's support for cardiac, children's and cancer hospitals in Punjab.

The chief minister thanked the bank for organising the Punjab Agri-Food Investment Forum.

The two sides also discussed nursing education, establishment of labs in schools and concessional loan agreements to help farmers purchase agricultural machinery.

The CM said all projects in Punjab were progressing rapidly and another 2,000 electric buses would be operating on the province's roads by next year with ADB support.

"Health projects are among our priorities and will be completed soon to facilitate the people," she said.

The chief minister described the Punjab Economic Transformation Plan as a game changer for agricultural improvement and economic growth.

She said the provincial government was focusing on increasing cultivation of oilseeds, pulses and fruits, besides improving agricultural financing and cold-chain facilities.

"Punjab is Pakistan's food basket and, with its growing workforce, is also emerging as a hub of industrial development," she said.

The chief minister said the provincial government wanted to strengthen Pakistan's strong and long-term partnership with the ADB.

She said the government was pursuing a broad reform agenda focused on good governance, improved service delivery, economic recovery and growth.

Under the Punjab Investment and Value-Oriented Transformation initiative, the government was working to promote value addition, exports, skills development and private-sector investment in the province, she said.