Punjab PA begins pre-budget debate

LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha has assured MPAs and the masses that her government was fully committed to promoting education, health, agriculture and industrial sectors, and strengthening provincial institutions besides increasing revenues and eliminating terrorism and unemployment.

Opening the pre-budget debate for the next financial year 2017-18 in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, she invited suggestions from MPAs to enable the government achieve these objectives and to improve its working in these sectors in the coming fiscal year.

She termed it a revolutionary achievement of her government that the annual budget had been prepared in the light of the suggestions of the legislators in order to resolve the people’s problems in the light of the suggestions of their elected representatives.

She said the pre-budget debate would continue for the next four days and assured the members that the government was fully committed to developing the province by setting its priorities in the light of the suggestions of the elected representatives.

She reminded the members that the government allocated 256 billion rupees for education sector last year in the light of their suggestions which resulted in increase in enrolments and provision of missing facilities in government schools besides establishment of new educational institutions in far flung areas. Throwing light on the budget of previous fiscal year, she said government redesigned people friendly policies which benefitted the fields of education, health, and law and order the most. The reinforcements included provision of missing facilities in education sector primarily focused on training of teachers, development of technical education, creation of more institutions for women etc. while process of recruitment of teachers on merit in schools still continued. 

In the health sector, she said, vacancies of doctors were filled up, appointment of lady doctors for gynaecology wards in rural areas, and revamping of DHQ and THQ hospitals was still continued. She said creation of new units in hospitals, improvement of vaccination facilities, and presence of doctors in hospitals was also being ensured. For law and order improvement, she said, police reforms were made, provision of latest technology, improvement in monitoring system and the need for public feedback.