AGL 40.05 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.13%)
AIRLINK 132.75 Increased By ▲ 3.22 (2.49%)
BOP 6.90 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (3.29%)
CNERGY 4.58 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-1.08%)
DCL 8.92 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.22%)
DFML 42.98 Increased By ▲ 1.29 (3.09%)
DGKC 84.59 Increased By ▲ 0.82 (0.98%)
FCCL 32.90 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (0.4%)
FFBL 76.60 Increased By ▲ 1.13 (1.5%)
FFL 12.14 Increased By ▲ 0.67 (5.84%)
HUBC 110.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.55 (-0.5%)
HUMNL 14.43 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-0.89%)
KEL 5.54 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (2.78%)
KOSM 8.39 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.12%)
MLCF 39.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-0.23%)
NBP 66.22 Increased By ▲ 5.93 (9.84%)
OGDC 199.20 Decreased By ▼ -0.46 (-0.23%)
PAEL 26.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.65 (-2.44%)
PIBTL 7.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.65%)
PPL 159.25 Increased By ▲ 1.33 (0.84%)
PRL 26.21 Decreased By ▼ -0.52 (-1.95%)
PTC 18.52 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.33%)
SEARL 81.94 Decreased By ▼ -0.50 (-0.61%)
TELE 8.11 Decreased By ▼ -0.20 (-2.41%)
TOMCL 34.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.11 (-0.32%)
TPLP 8.93 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-1.43%)
TREET 16.88 Decreased By ▼ -0.59 (-3.38%)
TRG 60.00 Decreased By ▼ -1.32 (-2.15%)
UNITY 27.65 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (0.8%)
WTL 1.41 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (2.17%)
BR100 10,613 Increased By 206 (1.98%)
BR30 31,863 Increased By 149.7 (0.47%)
KSE100 99,102 Increased By 1774 (1.82%)
KSE30 30,842 Increased By 649.1 (2.15%)

LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht said that in the fiscal year 2021-2022, universal health programme will prove a game changer in the health sector.

“The universal health coverage will be available in Punjab, the most populous province, by the end of this year, ensuring that the economic dividends of a healthy population are jointly reaped,” he said this while addressing a pre-budget workshop here on Monday.

It was organized by the Punjab Finance Department in partnership with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) UK and Sub-National Governance Programme (SNG).

The Minister told the participants that the Punjab government truly believes in the philosophy of inclusive growth and social sector development while education and health sector reforms will be instrumental in putting the province on the right track of composite economic growth. He averred that the finance department started the inclusive budgeting approach last year, and consolidated the efforts this year, as this government sincerely understands that all planning and budgeting should meet the needs and true aspirations of the citizens. He also thanked the SNG team for the support provided to the government on key reform interventions.

“The government is led by example, and in the last two years prudential management of the current expenditure has ensured that service delivery is not impacted. The government has tried hard to maintain the current expenditure and reduced burden, where it is needed, so that service delivery is not affected,” he added.

While addressing the workshop, FCDO UK representative Alex Ballinger said that the British government is committed to partnering with the Punjab government to improve the lives of the citizens.

Planning and Development Board Chairman Abdullah Khan Sumbal and Punjab Finance Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo reiterated that inclusive planning and budgeting is a top priority of the provincial government.

Later, government representatives, development and UN agencies, academia and civil society organizations participated in the group discussions to formulate recommendations for the budget 2021-22. They made a number of key recommendations, including industry-based skills for workers, especially women, robust social protection systems, population-control measures, education reforms, and a focus on women and marginalized in all sectors, especially agriculture and the industry.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

Comments

Comments are closed.