The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed with a thumping majority 41 demands for grants worth over Rs 1.824 trillion for the financial year 2019-20.
Of the total 41 demands for grants, the House had already approved demands for grants of Rs 141,771,661,000 for the health services tabled in the House on Monday and was passed by majority followed by a demand for grant of Rs 66,373,607,000 for education.
The demands for grant of Rs 18,949,693,000 for Agriculture, grant of Rs 115,633,280,00 for Police, Rs 9,435,127,000 for industries, Rs 84,400,000,000 for investment, Rs 255, 308,585,000 for development, Rs 4,499,397,000 for Land Revenue, Rs 678,367,000 for Provincial Excise were approved by the House.
The House also approved the grants of Rs 758,043,000 in respect of Provincial Excise, Rs 464,786,634,00 0 for Miscellaneous, Rs 105,045,821,00 for State Trading in Food grains and Sugar and Rs 93,203,000 for State Trading in Medical Stores and Coal. Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi used his powers and read the remaining 38 demands for grants and sought direct voting from the House.
Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar made a brief appearance in the House that concluded with the adjournment of the session till Wednesday (June 26) at 3 pm. Opposition leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif also made a brief appearance in the House.
PPP parliamentary leader Syed Hassan Murtaza while speaking on the cut motion on agriculture said that government had not given relief to the farmers of Punjab in this budget. He said that government had allocated more money for research and development in agriculture sector. He said that prices of urea and potassium were out of reach of farmers.
He also said that government had increased the problems of farmers by abolishing the subsidies. He further said that government had doubled the rate of Aabiyana in the budget. He demanded that government should immediately bring an amendment in the budget and give relief to the farmers.
Hassan said that farmers had rejected the agri income tax. He alleged that government is registering cases against opponents and forcing them to change their loyalties. He demanded that a parliamentary committee should be constituted which will present the report in the House on the issue of harassment of political opponents.
Former Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Muhammad Iqbal said that government should give relief to the farmers on the income of more than Rs 800,000 as announced by the federal government. He criticized Punjab government for imposing tax on the farmers who are earning Rs 400,000. PML (N) MPA Zakia Shahnawaz said that government should establish agriculture university in South Punjab. PML (N) MPA Chaudhry Jafar Iqbal said that in the tenure of PML (N) government growth rate in agriculture was 3 percent which is now 1% . PML (N) MPA Haji Arshad demanded that government should spent the amount allocated on cooperate farming on cotton research.
While responding to the queries of opposition, Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Noman Ahmed Langrial said that the PTI government in Punjab put the agriculture sector on right path according to the vision of its leadership. Noman said this year the government has allocated Rs 12 billion for agriculture sector. He also said that government will allocate Rs 8 billion from non-development sector for agriculture.
He claimed that during their tenure of 10 months farmers got good prices of the crop of wheat, sugar cane, rice, cotton and potatoes.
He refuted the claims of opposition that government had taken back the subsidies from farmers. He said that government is giving subsidy to farmers through easy paisa. The farmers were offered group insurance at the rate of Rs 8000 per acre. The government had given interest free loans to 2,50,000 farmers.
While sharing the details of future projects, the Agriculture Minister said that government is planning to establish modern agriculture market in Lakhoder with the cost of Rs 5 billion. The government has introduced fertilizer and soil health card.
He said that government has allocated more than Rs 12 billion for increasing the production of wheat, six billion for increasing production of rice and Rs 15 billion for increasing local production of eatable oil.
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