Opposition’s 15 cut motions rejected: Punjab Assembly approves 41 demands for grants

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday approved 41 demands for grants worth Rs 3969.2068 billion, rejecting 15 cut motions from the opposition with a majority vote.

The Punjab Assembly approved demands for grant of worth Rs.21,138,000 in respect of opium, Rs.9,526,158,000 in respect of Land Revenue, Rs.1,913,054,000 in respect of Provincial Excise, Rs.470,799,000in respect of Stamps, Rs.6,288,808,000 in respect of Forests, Rs.167,219,000 in respect of Registration, Rs.1,003,909,000 in respect of Charges on Account of Motor Vehicles Acts, Rs.1,455,259,000 in respect of Other Taxes and Duties, Rs.36,010,949,000 in respect of Irrigation and Land Reclamation.

The House gave approval of Demands for Grants of Rs.83,421,045,000 in respect of General Administration, Rs.37,155,771,000 in respect of administration of justice, Rs19,759,680,000 in respect of jails and convict settlements, Rs.187,365,147,000 in respect of police, Rs.426,006,000 in respect of museums, Rs.119,867,618,000 in respect of education and Rs.262,864,386,000 in respect of health services.

The House also gave approval of demands for grants of Rs.13,928,584,000 in respect of public health, Rs.25,300,779,000 in respect of agriculture, Rs 1,588, 946,000 in respect of fisheries, Rs.20,164,883,000 in respect of veterinary, Rs.2,251,806,000 in respect of co-operation, Rs.14,056,267,000 in respect of Industries, Rs.22,318,855,000 in respect of miscellaneous departments and Rs 21,741,665,000 in respect of civil works.

The House gave approval of demands for grants of Rs.31,891,128,000 in respect of communications, Rs.5,855,643,000 in respect of housing and physical planning, Rs.19,299,555,000 in respect of relief, Rs.451,400,000,000 in respect of pension, Rs.358,785,000 in respect of stationery and printing, Rs.72,911,376,000 in respect of subsidies, Rs.1,045,051,974,000 in respect of miscellaneous, Rs.1,209,889,000 in respect of civil defence, Rs.39,356,995,000 in respect of state trading in food grains and sugar.

The House passed demands for grants of Rs.1,000 in respect of loans to government servants, Rs.82,952,918,000 in respect of loans to municipalities/autonomous bodies etc ,Rs.316,472,142,000 in respect of investment, Rs.510,872,207,000 in respect of development, Rs.26,542,481,000 in respect of irrigation works, Rs.183,007,290,000 in respect of roads and bridges, Rs.121,578,021,000 in respect of government buildings and Rs.1,000 in respect of loans to municipalities/autonomous bodies etc.

Earlier, Punjab's Finance Minister, Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman, on Tuesday said wheat procurement will be done without borrowing from commercial banks for the fiRst time since 1954.

He also announced that all districts in Punjab will have solid waste management systems in place by the next financial year.

While announcing significant allocations in the provincial budget for the upcoming fiscal year Mujtaba said Rs 10 billion has been set aside for the Chief Minister's Kisan Card, which will be launched by Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Rs 4 billion has been allocated for the Roshan Gharana Program, which aims to provide free solar systems to the public.

The minister revealed these details while concluding the budget debate for 2024-25 in the Punjab Assembly.

The Punjab Assembly session began with a delay of one hour and 39 minutes, presided over by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan. During the session, Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman, while winding up the budget debate for 2024-25, said that Nawaz Sharif's vision is a guiding light for us, and Shehbaz Sharif has served the people of Punjab with dedication. Maryam Nawaz has laid the foundation for the sustainable development and prosperity of the province. The budget of Rs 5,446 billion is a surplus budget, with an development budget of Rs 842 billion, 100% of which is funded. Our membeRs actively participated in the budget debate for four days, but the atmosphere in the House was marred by false accusations and peRsonal attacks. However, useful suggestions were also made by the membeRs.

Mujtaba said opposition only focused on point-scoring, Rana Aftab and Ahmad Khan Bachhar should prepare the team for next year instead of just scoring points.

He further said in four days, the opposition criticized him and PML-N leadeRship for 15 houRs, calling the 2024-25 budget a 'deficit budget' with a deficit of Rs 800-1200 billion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024