Austerity policy being implemented in Punjab: minister

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Industries and Trade SM Tanveer on Friday said that austerity policy was being implemented in letter and spirit in Punjab.

He stated this while chairing the third austerity committee meeting which huddled up at the finance department's committee room to deliberate on 19 cases of different departments. The meeting was attended by heads and representatives of various provincial government departments. Out of 19 cases, 14 requests were related to the procurement of vehicles for operational matters of public welfare schemes, while two cases involved the purchase of air conditioners. The committee approved the purchase of new vehicles and air conditioners for public welfare schemes, in line with the austerity policy and rejected cases related to less important schemes.

SM Tanveer directed that departments should prudently move forward with their defined resources because the government cannot afford to waste resources or splurge funds in the difficult economic situation. However, the provision of resources for public welfare schemes should not be hindered and it's sanguine that the austerity policy was being implemented in letter and spirit in Punjab, he concluded.

ADP schemes: Caretaker Provincial Minister for Industries, Trade and Energy SM Tanveer chaired a meeting at the Energy Department to review the progress of the annual development programme (ADP) schemes.

The meeting highlighted the status of 33 ongoing and eight new energy schemes. Among the noteworthy accomplishments were the successful pilot projects for transferring the cities of Gujranwala, Multan, and Mianwali to solar smart cities, as well as the solarisation of agricultural tube-wells across Punjab. The scheme to supply a one-watt solar system has reached 50 percent completion, and a feasibility study has also been completed for the establishment of the Punjab Grid Company. Additionally, 10 sports facilities have been transferred to solar energy, and work on the remaining facilities is ongoing, the meeting was told.