LAHORE
Punjab Assembly approved grants worth Rs 1.81 trillion for 43 proposals amidst a lot of commotion from the opposition.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif attended the budget session. Two cut-motions proposed by the opposition were rejected by the majority.
Four resolutions presented in the assembly lapsed on Monday after designation time according to the rules.
The session started an hour and half late under the chair of acting speaker Sardar Shair Ali Gorchani.
The opposition proposed two cut-motions related to education and health which were debated in the house. However, both the cut-motions were rejected in the assembly by majority vote.
The approved grants included Rs 3 billion 710 million for Revenue Land, Rs 600 million for excise, Rs 3 billion 350 million for Forests, Rs 1 billion 540 million for Tax and other receivables, Rs 95 billion 590 million for Police, Rs 160 million for Museums, Rs 40 billion 750 million for Education, Rs 107 billion 280 million for Health, Rs 13 billion 350 million for public health, Rs 15 billion 60 million for Agriculture, Rs 154 billion for Development, Rs 90 billion 70 million for Roads and Rs 44 billion 51 million for Public Buildings.
The chief minister arrived in the assembly at the time of the approval of grants. He was greeted by the treasury benches with slogans while the opposition benches chanted go-Nawaz-go.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif met with assembly members belonging to different districts at his chamber.
A representative delegation of different minority communities led by Punjab Minister for Minorities Affairs & Human Rights Khalil Tahir Sandhu called on the chief minister at his chamber and discussed matters of mutual interest.
The chief minister took part in the budgetary demands for grant proceedings and participated in voting as well.
He remained in the Punjab Assembly for quite some time and left it after the session was prorogued till tomorrow.