Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that there is no room for protest politics in the country and only such a long march is needed as is aimed at progress and prosperity of the masses. He said that Pakistan is on the road to progress and development under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the enlightened people of the country will totally reject those elements who want to create hurdles in this process.
He said that Punjab government has evolved an unprecedented welfare and revolutionary programme in the form of the biggest budget in the history of the province. He said that record funds of 345 billion rupees have been allocated for development schemes out of which 119 billion rupees will be spent for the development and uplift of south Punjab which will usher in a new era of progress in this region.
He expressed these views while talking to assembly members of various districts and delegations of Pakistan Muslim League-N in Murree, Sunday. The Chief Minister said that politics of Pakistan Muslim League-N is aimed at service to the people and raising the living standard of the deprived segments of the society and for this purpose, mega development projects are being completed expeditiously throughout the province. He said that government is determined to make Punjab a model province and every penny of public money is being spent on the progress and development of the province in a transparent manner. He said that a target of eight percent annual growth rate has been fixed for the next four years and all departments, public representatives and government functionaries will have to work with commitment and efficiency for its achievement. Shahbaz Sharif said that problems like poverty and unemployment can be overcome through promotion of investment, construction activities and rapid industrialisation and the government has adopted an effective strategy for this purpose. He said that maximum facilities are being given to investors while all out measures are being taken for the promotion of construction activities and development of industrial sector. He said that a target of creation of 40 lakh job opportunities has been fixed for the next four years and it will be achieved at any cost.
He said that Pakistan's future is linked with vocational education and a skilled workforce can be prepared through promotion of technical education to meet the market needs. He said that Punjab government is implementing Skills Development Programme with the collaboration of DFID and thousands of male and female youth have been imparted technical training under this programme.