LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht on Wednesday said that the opposition is not happy to see the progress of Pakistan as the growth rate of Pakistan has reached to 4 percent. “These are not the numbers made by Ishaq Dar,” said Finance Minister while lashing out at the opposition in his closing speech on budget in Punjab Assembly.
He admitted that biggest challenge faced by the government is of inflation. He said treasury benches patiently listened the speeches of opposition and now he is responding. “The Prime Minister had taken steps to safeguard the population from the pandemic. Due to the economic policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan Pakistan is on the track,” Makhdoom said. We have given health cards to 45 % population while 1.7 million jobs have also been promoted. He further added that his government gave 106 billion rupees for COVID-19 relief program and the whole world is praising the economic recovery of Pakistan. We have increased the education budget by 97 billion. The pension reforms are also made by us that gave a benefit of 20 billion rupees, he said. According to Finance Minister, the inflation is the major challenge that we are facing and the government is trying to fix it. “Every person of Punjab will get benefit from this budget as the government is working to change the fate of this province,” Finance Minister concluded.
Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also attended the sitting of Punjab Assembly on Wednesday. The treasury MPAs welcomed him with thumping desks as he rarely comes to the House.
As many as 43 Demands for Grants worth more than two trillion rupees were presented in the House for approval. The opposition has already moved cut-motions that will be debated tomorrow also.
In her speech, health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said that the PTI government didn’t halt the projects of public welfare initiated by the PML-N and PKLI is an example of it. She revealed that there was nothing in the PKLI when PTI government came but health department worked hard and made it functional. “It is wrong impression that no free medicine is available in the public sector hospital as Nawaz Sharif was also treated free of cost when he was admitted in Services Hospital,” said Yasmin Rashid.
Earlier, the session started after the delay of almost two hours from its scheduled time with Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in the chair.
While speaking on the cut motion on health Khawaja Salman Rafique said it is totally false what finance minster that no hospitals were made in the last ten years. He said that PML N has increased the capacity of beds in the hospitals of Lahore by 3000. New hospital was made in Raiwind, Shahdra, Kahna and Samnabad. While criticising the government he said government had allocated very small amount for the projects which needs billions of rupees for completion.
Pakistan People’s Party leader Makhdoom Syed Usman Mahmood while expressing his views on cut motion on health said that PTI government made false promises in three years. He said government promised to make nine new hospitals but still teaching hospital was not made in Mianwali.
Usman questioned that if 94 % budget of health was utilised then why the prices of medicine were increased by 200 %.
He also said that with the efforts of speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervez Elahi Rescue 1122 was established in 2004 which is now become an institution.
PML N MPA Khawja Imran Nazir said that health minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid should take notice that 60,000 doctors lost their jobs during PTI government. He said that all district headquarter hospitals were made by former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif. He alleged that government had bought 300 ultra sound machines on high rates.
PML N MPA Dr Mazhar Hussain said that government had destroyed the whole health system by passing the Punjab Medical Teaching Institution Act.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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