Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday said the Sindh government is functioning smoothly and the coalition partners have been able to forge even closer unity in their ranks.
The Prime Minister while talking to an MQM delegation expressed the hope that in the days to come PML and MQM will further strength unity in their ranks and cement their alliance to untidily face the challenges in the province.
The delegation comprising Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Khan Ghauri, Federal Minister for Communication Shamim Siddiqui, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Syed Safwanullah, Minister of State for Religious Affairs Dr Aamir Liaquat and Dr Farooq Sattar, congratulated the Prime Minister on pro-people budget, which contains a record development outlay for Sindh.
The delegation who called on him at his Parliament House Chamber thanked the Prime Minister for his initiative to include the suggestions made by the coalition partners in the budget.
The delegation informed the Prime Minister that the problem of load-shedding was persisting in Karachi and parts of interior Sindh and noted that there is some improvement in the situation.
They said that federal government should try to get more electricity from Wapda.
The Prime Minister was apprised of the steps being taken by the Sindh government to solve the problem of load-shedding on a permanent basis.
The Prime Minister said that budget will expedite the pace of development in Sindh.
He said the federal government in collaboration with the provincial government will start new infrastructure projects pertaining to roads, ports, industrial estates, transportation and irrigation water besides initiating schemes to provide gas, water, electricity and health and education to the people at their doorstep.
The Prime Minister said the government will spare no effort to bring about total socio-economic transformation of Sindh and to achieve this objective has provided unprecedented development funds to the province in the last six years.
Shaukat Aziz said that the PML government has been successful in restoring the credibility of the country and has launched historic development programmes to meaningfully impact the life of the people.
Later, a delegation of MNAs also met the Prime Minister and told him that the budget has been well received in their constituencies as it has resulted in reduction in prices of daily use.
The Prime Minister said that the government expects the trend to continue as more and more stocks are released in the market.
He said that the government is finalising a plan to increase the number of Utility Stores to 1000 from the existing 560. The new stores will be opened to cater to the needs of the poorer segments of the society.
In addition, the government will open Utility Stores on franchise across the country to make essential goods available at affordable level to maximum number of people.
The MNAs who called on the Prime Minister included Chaudhry Nazir Jatt, Talib Nakai, Wasi Zafar, Ishaq Khakwani, Dr Firdaus Ashiq Awan, Safdar Shakir, Ayaz Sherazi, M.A. Malkani, Jehangir Tareen, Tahira Asif, Rais Munir, Khawaja Sheraz, Ghaus Bux Mehar, Bushra Anwar, Zahid Hamid, Dr Arbab Zakaullah, Haroon Qaiser, Khurshid Afghan, Ahmed Mahmood Alam, Mazhar Qureshi, Waqas Akram and Umar Ahmed Ghumman.