Rs 2.45 billion spent on ads

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Corporation Marriyum Aurangzeb told the National Assembly during the Question Hour that the incumbent government spent Rs2.45 billion on advertisements.

Rs1.64 billion were paid to the print media and Rs820 million to electronic media. She said Rs2.70 billion were spent on the media advertisement in the second year of PM Nawaz’s tenure, which increased to Rs3.41 billion in 2016.

The government spent a total of Rs15.54 billion on the promotion of different reforms and programmes, initiated by the prime minister in three years.

Marriyum told the NA the government was going to launch a policy to encourage indigenous film production. The government is focusing on revival of the Pakistani film industry to reduce foreign content, she added.

She said there was no official ban on the state censored and regulated public exhibition of Indian feature films in the cinema houses under the Motion Pictures Ordinance 1979.

She said the existing policy framework of the federal government to all exhibitions of foreign cinematographic films in Pakistani cinemas is consistent with the policy, approved by the then PM in 2007. She said the Central Board of Film Censors has the power to cut the contents which are against our social norms and national interest. To a question, Marriyum said an advertisement is being given soon for appointment of MD PTV.

Replying to a question, Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique told the House that the government had taken several steps to upgrade railway tracks including Karachi-Peshawar track under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

He said up-gradation and doubling of the main line (ML-I) of Pakistan Railways from Karachi to Peshawar including Taxila Havelian section and establishment of dry port near Havelian had been declared as Early Harvest Project under CPEC.

He said the project also includes doubling of track from Shandara to Peshawar Cantt and increasing of speed of where possible. He said the up-gradation of the project would be completed in five years.

The minister said there was no dedicated locomotive for freight services when he took over, but now there are 81 dedicated locomotives for the purpose. He said Pakistan would import 55 freight locomotives from the United States, seven of those have already reached the country. The rest would reach in the next three months. He said there would be 150 freight locomotives by the end of tenure of the present government.

Saad said Pakistan Railways revenue through freight services would increase to over Rs14 billion this year, which was only Rs2 billion in 2012. Answering a question, Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the liver transplant facility would be started at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). He said 90 per cent machinery for the facility was available and availability of expert surgeons for liver transplantation was in process. He said if a patient could not afford the treatment expenses of liver transplantation, funds would be provided from Prime Minister’s Special Cell, set up for the purpose.