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Says purchase of new vehicles, unnecessary expenses banned in offices
Saturday, November 21, 2009
By Our Correspondent
LAHORE
CHIEF Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan is rich in natural resources and manpower and there is a need of commitment and hard work for the prosperity of the country. He said national resources should be relied on as no country can prosper with foreign aid and sovereignty and freedom of the country depended on self-reliance.
He was talking to the MPs belonging to various districts at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Friday. Mr Shahbaz said that the government was utilising all available resources for the speedy development of the province and an amount of Rs 175 billion had been allocated for the purpose under the Annual Development Programme. He said the development schemes were being executed expeditiously in the province and special attention was being paid to the development of backward areas. He said the government was giving priority to education and record funds had been allocated for the sector. He said the Educational Endowment Fund had been set up with Rs 4 billion for providing financial aid to the poor students to help them continue their education. He said a sum of Rs 2 billion would be added to the fund each year and added that the purpose of all the steps was to ensure access of talented students to quality education.
The CM said the government was taking steps for the development of the agriculture sector. He said that in addition to quality seed, tractors and agri-implements were also being provided to cultivators at the subsidised rates. He said 10,000 green tractors were provided to farmers at subsidised rate last year and funds had also been allocated the year for green tractor scheme. He said that measures were being taken for the uplift of agriculture and livestock sectors and their production could be substantially increased by utilising modern technology.
Talking about health facilities, the chief minister said mobile dispensaries were being imported for providing medical facilities to people of the far-flung areas. He said a strict financial discipline had been adopted in the province and austerity was being promoted while the ban on the purchase of new vehicles, furniture for decoration of govt offices and other unnecessary expenditure was being enforced.
The CM said a strategy had been adopted for the elimination of poverty and unemployment with the promotion of vocational education. He said Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) had been made an autonomous institution. He said the country could prosper by imparting vocational education to the youth while foreign exchange could also be earned by sending skilled workforce to the Middle East and other countries. He said the establishment of computer labs in more than 4,000 schools of the province had been completed and it would be formally inaugurated within next few days.
CM urges Ulema to promote peace: Wafaqul Madaris Secretary General Muhammad Hanif Jallundhry called on Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Friday. The chief minister said the country was passing through a critical phase and its enemies were bent on weakening its foundations.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
