LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi has issued strict instructions to implement the austerity policy while making major decisions to reduce government expenditures in the province.

He imposed ban on the procurement of new vehicles for government departments and further announced a 50% reduction in the non-development expenses of all government departments including the CM office.

While chairing a meeting at his office on Tuesday, the CM instructed all departments to ensure strict implementation of the austerity policy. He also ordered to provide him with a complete record of state lands in Punjab within seven days. A comprehensive policy will be prepared to auction the government lands transparently.

Elahi directed adopting out-of-box measures to increase provincial resources and stressed that line departments should uniquely introduce new measures to increase revenue.

He directed to achieve targets set for increasing the resources and made it clear that it is the responsibility of the line departments to ensure achieving targets within the stipulated period. They should burn the midnight oil while adopting concrete measures to increase the resources. This would help to provide more facilities to the citizens, he noted.

Moreover, talking to provincial Minister Muhammad Latif Nazar, the CM asserted that improving the quality of life of the common man was the focal point of the incumbent government. Whenever Allah Almighty gave me the post of the chief minister, I have worked tirelessly to provide relief to the poor and am doing such things that the people will always remember, he added.

Chairman PTI Imran Khan is the most popular leader of Pakistan; he stated and vowed to stand with him through thick and thin, he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022