The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party (PPDWP) has approved Rs 6.5 billion on Friday to provide additional class rooms in schools of comparatively less developed areas of the province. P&D spokesman told Business Recorder that Rs 4.14 billion will be spent to build additional class rooms in tehsils of DG Khan, Taunsa Sharif and Kot Chutta (Phase-I) while Rs 2.4 billion have been provided for additional class rooms in the schools in tehsils of Jhang, T T Singh & Gojra (Phase-I).
The spokesman further told that the Punjab government had also launched Khadim-e-Punjab Ujala Programme under which 20,000 schools were being converted on solar energy system across the province. In the first phase, solar panels will be provided to more than 10,000 schools in the southern Punjab at the cost of Rs 9 billion. These schemes were approved in the 15th meeting of PDWP of current fiscal year 2017-18 presided over by Chairman P&D Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan.
Secretary P&D Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, All members of the Planning & Development Board, provincial secretaries concerned and other senior representatives of the relevant provincial departments also attended the meeting. The PPDWP also approved three other schemes including project implementation unit for smart & J&C programme at the cost of Rs 410.000 million, Green Pakistan Programme - Reclamation and Development of Forest Areas in Punjab (Revised) at the cost of Rs 1263.753 million and establishment of Public Private Partnership Mode, C&W Department (Revised, PC-II) at the cost of Rs 39.58 million.