Budget aimed at public relief: Basharat

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat has said the annual budget 2018-19 is aimed at providing relief to the people and pledged the government wouldn’t shelve any project of public welfare initiated in past.

Addressing the members of Punjab Assembly press gallery at the PA Secretariat on Monday, Raja Basharat said the defeat of PTI candidates in the by-polls was in fact the result of some wrong choices and some internal rifts in some constituencies but it wasn’t fair to link it with PTI’s initial days performance. He said that the government, instead must be credited for holding fair and free by-elections which wasn’t a tradition in past.

He said no state resources were used by the government in favour of its candidates, rather, most of the PTI ticket holders even complained that they were not being facilitated by the administration.

To a query about the alleged victimisation of Opposition leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and his arrest just a few days before by-elections, Raja Basharat said that the former CM was arrested by NAB, not PTI.

Over the resignation of Nasir Durrani, he said Mr Durrani was still associated with Public Service Commission and he accepted this post on his will to facilitate the PTI government. He said situation in Punjab was different than KP and Balochistan where tribal culture had its own significance. However, He said the PTI government would work on all possible measures concerning Police reforms in Punjab.

Responding to a question about price hike, he said there was no denying the fact that the previous government was responsible for it. He said having realised that their party wouldn’t come to power, the past rulers lavishly spent from national exchequer with the intention of creating problems for the upcoming government.

He stated that benefits of PTI’s 100 days plan would definitely come to surface and a lot would improve in future as compared to past. To a question related to the projects of previous PML-N government, he replied that PTI believed in providing relief to the people and in the budget as well, it would fulfil its commitment and wouldn’t shelve the projects through which public could benefit.

He said that PTI government believed in the true empowerment of masses for which it was working on a plan to introduce an effective LG system. He said it was highly unfortunate that in PML-N era, LG funds, which were supposed to be spent on public welfare, were blocked and were not used properly.

The PTI wanted to restore that actual strength of the LG institutions. Regarding the budget session, he told media that the Punjab government would also lay five ordinances and urged Opposition to play a constructive role.

seminar: Provincial Minister for Social Welfare & Baitul-Maal Muhammad Ajmal Cheema has said it is responsibility of the government to take steps for the welfare of blinds and physically challenged persons.

He was addressing the participants of seminar held in connection with World Blind White Cane Day. He hoped that both Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Punjab would not refuse suggestions related to the welfare of special persons.

Provincial minister for housing & urban development, DEO special education, actress Nisho, captain blind cricket team and blind teachers and students from different schools of Punjab attended the seminar.

The blind students sang songs and performed skits that mesmerised the audience. The minister said we would recommend allocating one percent quota for blind, deaf & dumb and disabled people in the project of five million homes announced by the prime minister. He said I would personally work to get monthly stipend for the people approved from Baitul-Maal. The minister distributed souvenirs among the guests and organisers.