CM says solar project to start producing 300 MW power in a few days
LAHORE
Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday congratulated the assembly members on the conduct of the budget session of Punjab Assembly in an excellent manner and approval of provincial budget for the year 2016-17.
The CM expressed theses views while talking to a delegation of assembly members belonging to Pakistan Muslim League-N. He said that Punjab government had given the biggest development budget in the history of the province and this balanced budget will change the destiny of the masses. He said that record funds of Rs 550 billion had been allocated under Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the next fiscal year.
He said that Punjab government had earmarked billions of rupees for the progress and prosperity of 10 crore people of the province.
The chief minister said that Punjab government had completed the only project of power generation from solar energy in the history of the country with its own resources. He said that work was also being carried out speedily on solar power project of 900 megawatt at Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park and it would start producing 300 megawatts electricity within next few days. He said that federal and Punjab governments were also working on gas-based energy projects of 3,600 megawatts. He said that PML-N government would honor the promise of removing darkness from the country and completion of power projects would result in elimination of load-shedding and availability of cheap electricity.
Shahbaz Sharif said that implementation of the biggest ADP in the history of the province would usher in a new era of progress in the province. He said that the historic ADP reflected the priorities of the government to raise the living standard of the people. He said that billions of rupees had also been allocated for development of backward areas and prosperity of the people of south Punjab. He said that more resources had been allocated like the previous years in the new budget for the welfare programmes for south Punjab. The chief minister said that a positive change would be brought about in the lives of the people through implementation of development schemes under ADP. He said that utilisation of billions of rupees for education, health, agriculture and social sectors would result in development of these sectors. He said that a splendid package had also been given for the development of agriculture and prosperity of cultivators. He said that decrease in the prices of urea and DAP fertilisers and tariff rate for agri tube-wells besides the programme of provision of interest-free loans would benefit the farmers. He said that facilities were being given to cultivators on priority basis for making up for their losses due to recession at the international level.
Shahbaz Sharif said that the measures proposed in the new budget would result in poverty alleviation and minimising the gulf between the rich and the poor. He said that implementation of a big programme for the repair and rehabilitation of rural roads would result in progress of rural economy. He said that supply of potable water to crores of people living in villages would be ensured through Saaf Pani Project worth billions of rupees. He said that an amount of Rs 30 billion had been allocated in the new budget for this programme. The chief minister said that a lot of work had been done for overcoming the energy problem to ensure speedy development and promotion of economic and social activities and efforts were being made round the clock for this purpose under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He said that early solution to energy problem was priority of the government and it was working on various power projects based on gas, coal, solar energy and hydel power. He said that completion of several energy projects would result in addition of thousands of megawatts electricity in the national grid.