State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Shamshad Akhtar called on Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at the Chief Minister's Secretariat here on Thursday to discuss current development process, mega projects and financial discipline. Punjab Chief Secretary Salman Siddique was also present on the occasion.
The chief minister said his government was using resources through an effective system of monitoring to consolidate the process of social development in the province. He said Punjab had become a focus of attention of international financial institution, recording an increase in local and foreign investment.
He said the development budget for education, health, agriculture, infrastructure and other sectors had been increased substantially and concrete efforts had been made to eliminate poverty and unemployment and make Punjab an educated, healthy and progressive province.
Pervaiz Elahi said the reforms introduced in education, health, industries and other sectors of development have resulted in relief to the masses, adding the government has taken practical measure for the development of the agriculture sector and socio-economic uplift of the farming community.
He said the subsidy on the power tariff for agri tube-well, fixation of flat rate of Abiana, due returns to the farmers for their produce and soft-term loans to the cultivators at union council level have left a positive impact on agri-economy of the province.
The chief minister also said to provide better health facilities to the masses, emergency service has been modernised, while health centers in the province have been upgraded and availability of doctors, paramedical staff and medicines have been ensured.
He said that Rescue - 1122 has been very success in providing relief to the victims of accidents and calamities and now its scope is being extended to all major cities of the province. He said that Rescue - 1122 has a response time of seven to 10 minutes and it has been linked with the central station through wireless. He said it has proved very important with regard to timely shifting of patients to hospitals. He said that State Bank's monetary policy will be helpful in maintaining financial discipline.
The SBP governor appreciated the reforms process introduced in education, health, agriculture, industries and other sectors in the province, saying that Punjab has made remarkable progress in these sectors. Dr Shamshad said that Punjab is playing an important role in socio-economic development of the country due to which jobs are being generated and poverty rate has reduced.