Rs150b for rural roads: CM

LAHORE
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif presided over a meeting on Saturday which decided to start the Pakistan “Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Roads Programme” for the construction and rehabilitation of roads in rural areas of the province.
Giving approval to the project of construction and rehabilitation of rural roads, Shahbaz Sharif said that under a phased programme, a total of Rs 150 billion will be spent on the programme of construction and rehabilitation of roads in rural areas in three years.
Addressing the meeting, Shahbaz Sharif said that in the first phase, construction and rehabilitation of 255 roads would be completed at a cost of Rs 15 billion during the current financial year and all roads would be carpeted and widened to 12 feet. The chief minister said that it was the biggest programme of construction and rehabilitation of rural roads in the history of the country which would bring about a revolution in the rural economy.
Schools reforms: Shahbaz Sharif has said the implementation of Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap is yielding encouraging results.
He said the attendance of teachers, students and educational facilities in schools had improved substantially. He said that like Punjab Health Reforms Roadmap, the system of punishment and reward should be fully adopted with regard to the implementation on Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap. The chief minister said that DCOs and EDOs Education of three districts would be fully encouraged for showing best performance in achieving the educational targets. He said the officers of districts concerned would be held responsible for unsatisfactory performance.
Shahbaz Sharif directed that no effort should be spared for achieving the educational targets fixed up to 2018. He said the provision of resources for equipping the new generation with education was not expenditure but a useful investment for a bright future of the country.
He expressed these views while addressing a meeting on Saturday which reviewed the progress of Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap in detail and expressed satisfaction over the pace of implementation on the programme.