‘People’s money being spent solely on public welfare’

LAHORE:Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Bilal Yasin, in a joint press conference with Information Minister Azma Bukhari at DGPR, stated that Maryam Nawaz’s government has presented its second consecutive tax-free budget.

‘I am not here to make false claims, but to present facts and figures,’ he said, adding, ‘This is no longer the Punjab of Niazis or Buzdars, it is now the Punjab of progressives. Public money is being spent solely on public welfare.’

He highlighted that, under Maryam Nawaz’s leadership, thousands of students are being given laptops instead of suffering from petrol price hikes. Across Punjab, thousands of kilometers of roads have been constructed through transparent e-tendering processes, and cleanliness standards across all districts remained exemplary during Eid.

The minister informed that interest-free and easy house loans of up to Rs1.5 million are being provided for the construction of houses. ‘We will fulfill the promise of constructing 100,000 houses by the end of this year. For the middle class, owning a home is nothing short of a dream come true,’ he said.

Additionally, under the ‘Apni Zameen, Apna Ghar’ initiative, over 350,000 people have applied for free residential plots. To ensure access to clean drinking water, 5,180 filtration plants are currently operational across the province, while more than 1,800 non-functional plants will be made operational by July. He added that 10 underground water tanks are being constructed in low-lying areas of Lahore, which will also help to raise the underground water table. Wasa’s services, previously limited to a few cities, are now being expanded to the entire province, with new Wasas to be established in the first phase across 10 major cities. He also noted that LDA’s development work is visibly evident on the roads of Lahore, and PHA’s scope will likewise be extended to all districts of Punjab.