Environment budget rises to Rs1.2 billion

LAHORE: The Punjab government has increased the budgetary allocations for environment to Rs1.2 billion against the previous year’s Rs540 million here Tuesday. Out of Rs1.2 billion, the government will spend Rs369.312 million on ongoing schemes while Rs830.688 million will be spent on new initiatives.

This year the government’s objectives are to improve environmental governance in the province, promote green investments, enhance environmental awareness, monitor, review and rationalise environmental quality standards, effectively exercise the regulatory control on environmental pollution, ensuring environmental sustainability through capacity building of provincial departments, promote research and development for improving quality of environment, devise ways and means for pollution preventions, provision of expertise in environmental reviews and transfer of environment friendly technology to the private sector.

The ongoing schemes included capacity building of EPA Punjab for Rs230 million, development of biodiversity parks in different districts at a cost of Rs19.111 million while new schemes included revitalisation of ecosystem of River Ravi at a cost of Rs20 million, Rs20 million for establishment of Environmental Technology Centre, Rs20 million for establishment of environmental monitoring centre, Rs20 million for establishment of environmental policy centre, Rs50 million for EPD restructuring and capacity building and Rs50 million for public awareness campaigns.