The Punjab government has succeeded to complete its development agenda as well as improving security scenario in the province. This was revealed during a briefing to a 30-member delegation of National Institute of Management (NIM) Peshawar comprising three faculty members and 27 officers belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhawa provincial service, Pakistan administrative service, AJK Council, Customs, Intelligence Bureau, Election Commission of Pakistan and Defence services participating in the mid career management course, during their visit to Civil Secretariat, Lahore.
Secretary Services Punjab Farhan Aziz Khawaja along with the other administrative secretaries gave detailed briefings to the members of delegation about progress achieved in implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) in the province of Punjab, improvement in law and order, health and education sectors and Punjab government successful efforts to accelerate the process of progress and prosperity particularly for the rural population.
Dispelling impression regarding more focus on the development of urban areas, it was informed that an equitable development process is going on in urban as well as the rural areas of Punjab. The magnitude of Punjab Rural Support Programme has been extended to Rs 1200 billion which is exclusively meant for betterment of 46-percent rural population in Punjab.
The Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has materialised the mega project of widening of 20,000 km long rural farm to market roads with a huge cost of Rs 150 billion while automation of rural as well as urban properties was also near completion. The rural population and that of semi urban areas also benefit from mega projects of transportation completed in the big cities of the province as they can commute from their rural residences to their work places in the big cities expending a very little fare, Secretary services said.
The official also referred to the recent survey report from PILDAT which reveals that the good governance level in Punjab is the best among all the four provinces of Pakistan in the public opinion. He also referred to various initiatives taken by the Punjab government to improve the agricultural productivity particularly the ongoing project of transformation of Pothohar Region into the "valley of Zaitoon."
He also dispelled the perception about having any soft corner for the terrorists in Punjab saying that Counter Terrorism Force of Punjab Police has succeeded to eliminate high profile leadership of all the three sectarian organisations in Punjab and practically proved that the Punjab government was earnest in curbing the menace of terrorism from the very beginning.