FAISALABAD: State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib has said that people will soon start enjoying the benefits of comprehensive and prudent reforms for sustained economic growth with a focus on enhancing exports and tax collection, facilitating masses and weeding out corruption.

Addressing a function at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI), mentioning the policies adopted by Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said that as a result of these policies, Pakistan managed maximum exports in a single month, Nov 2021, up to $2.9 billion, while it was 34 per cent in excess to the exports of same month of last year, and 47pc more than Nov 2018.

He said during the first five months of the current fiscal year, Pakistani exports stood at $12.37 billion, which were 37pc higher than the exports of the corresponding period in 2018.

About health sector, he said that the government was offering the best possible health facilities to masses, and people in Punjab would start getting health cards from Monday, and the process would be completed by March 2022. Under the arrangement, each card holder family would be entitled to free medical facilities up to Rs 1million, he added.

He said that despite corona pandemic, Pakistan exports remained 35pc more than the exports of other countries of South Asia. He said that the last year, the federal government also released Rs 250 billion as refund.

About the agriculture sector, he said the government provided subsidy to the farming community and as a result of it, all corps recorded phenomenal yield and Pakistan would have no need to import cotton and sugar this year. Due to this additional yield, Pakistan could be able to make additional exports worth $4 billion, he added.

About gas, he said that work on pipeline project with the cooperation of Russia would be started soon. He said the government was also constructing 10 dams which would not only generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity but also store 13 million cusec feet water for irrigation purposes.

About local issues of Faisalabad, the state minister said that Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar had constituted Provincial Finance Commission on the pattern of National Finance Commission. Under the commission, all districts would get their due share on the basis of their population and backwardness. “It will ensure balanced development of the province,” he added.

He promised that he would make his best efforts to ensure membership of FCCI in BoDs of all major public sector departments and autonomous bodies. About Faisalabad Master Plan, he said that various sectors had reservations about it and hence its approval was delayed and now the consultants had resubmitted new draft of the proposed master plan. He promised that once again stakeholders would be consulted to make it up to the mark.

Regarding Ring Road project, he said there were two proposals: one was to dualise 98-kilometre long bypass, which would have a cost Rs 27 billion, and the other proposal was to only rehabilitate the current bypass in its current situation with a cost of Rs 10 billion. He was optimistic that out of these proposals, one would be finalised very soon.

About dualization of railway track from Khanewal to Shahdra via Faisalabad, he said that its survey had been completed and now the project was waiting funding from federal government and Asian Development Bank.

About a local train from Gojra to Sangla Hill, he said that it would certainly shift the passenger load from roads to the railway track and this project could be handled by the Pakistan Railways from its own resources.