The Punjab government has released an amount of Rs 282 billion during first half of the current financial year 2016-17 out of total development budget of Rs 550 billion for current fiscal. Out of this amount, Rs 44.5 billion have been released for education, Rs 29.8 billion for health, Rs 24 billion for water supply and sanitation and Rs 3 billion for sports and youth affairs.
During current financial year, huge allocations have been made for the development of health, education, agriculture, irrigation and infrastructure development sectors, a spokesman of planning and development department said, here Monday.
It may be recalled that the Punjab Assembly approved development programme of Rs 550 billion for year 2016-17 which was 38% higher than the development programme of last year.
Out of this development budget, Rs 169 billion have been earmarked for social sectors included Rs 42.5 billion for health, Rs 68 billion for education, Rs 158 billion for infrastructure development which included roads, irrigation and public buildings. An amount of Rs 29.2 billion has been allocated for development of agriculture and livestock sectors, told P&D spokesman.
The spokesman said that funds have been released against the implementation of schemes all over Punjab without any geographical discrimination.
He added that funds against all ongoing development projects of ADP 2016-17 were released during first week of July, 2016 enabling the executing agencies to start development work at all the projects.
The spokesman further said that a number of projects are being implemented including Multan Metro Bus Project at the cost of Rs 30 billion, expansion of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Muzaffargarh at the cost of Rs 9 billion, Khawaja Fareed Engineering & I.T. University at Rahim Yar Khan at the cost of Rs 3.8 billion, Cardiac Surgery Block at BV Hospital, Bahawalpur at the cost of Rs 1.3 billion, up-gradation of DHQ Hospitals to the level of teaching Hospital at Sialkot, Sahiwal, Gujranwala and D.G. Khan at the cost of Rs 12 billion, revamping of all DHQ Hospitals and 15 THQ Hospitals in Punjab at the cost of Rs 5 billion, Khadim-e-Punjab School Programme at the cost of Rs 50 billion, Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Road Programme at the cost of Rs 150 billion, Tribal Area Development Project for D.G. Khan and Rajanpur Areas Districts (Rs 3.381 billion).
Development schemes for Cholistan Development Authority (Rs 2.712 billion), Development projects for barani areas (Rs 358 million), New Khanki Barrage (Rs 23 billion), Rehabilitation of Trimmu Barrage (Rs 17 billion), construction of small dams (Rs 7 billion), Agriculture Development Package (Rs 20 billion), establishment of University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences at Bahawalpur (Rs 3 billion), construction of Canal Expressway from Gutwala to Sahiawala, Faisalabad (Rs 6 billion), Improvement of Jhal Khanuwana Chowk, Faisalabad (Rs 2.5 billion), completion of 13 Sewerage/Water Supply schemes of WASA, Multan (Rs 3.67 billion), dualization of Road from Bahawalpur to Hasilpur at the cost of Rs 5 billion, construction of Flyover on G.T. Road at Aziz Cross Road, Gujranwala at the cost of Rs 6.6 billion and dualization of Muridkey Narowal Road with total cost of Rs 4.4 billion.