LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht said that in the next few days, all the secretaries deputed at South Punjab Secretariat will be given full powers along with the legal rules of business. He expressed these views during a meeting with an 18-member study delegation of ASPs held here on Tuesday.

He told the delegation that legal requirements were more important for the creation of South Punjab than political requirements, while the name was chosen keeping in mind to strengthen the federation of Pakistan. “With the increase in the allocated budget, a separate secretariat was set up keeping in view the utilization capacity,” he added.

He pointed out that South Punjab Secretariat would work in parallel with the Lahore Secretariat and in the next financial year, a separate budget and Annual Development Programme will be formulated for south Punjab.

According to him, promotion of the public-private-partnerships is need of the hour in order to ensure required investments in the social sector. Special focused was given to the police department to improve human resource efficiency and operational expenditures. The resumption in the increase in the daily allowance of police personnel frozen since 2013, the supply of new vehicles and purchase of special tanks for Katcha area are part of this spending.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021