Amid Opposition’s ruckus during Punjab Assembly session, Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb defended the provincial budget and government’s performance.
Addressing the session, Marriyum Aurangzeb said the Opposition has neither read nor listened the budget speech as they were raising hue and cry.
The opposition lawmakers repeatedly interrupted her speech with slogans against the government.
Senior Provincial Minister claimed that CM Maryam Nawaz-led government allocated funds for environment protection and wildlife safety. She said Rs10 billion were spent on environmental initiatives while Rs 18.4 billion had been utilized in the fisheries department.
She asserted that the Punjab government had presented the largest development budget in Pakistan’s history over the past two years, adding that development expenditures had reached Rs1,159 billion to date.
During her speech Marriyum blamed the previous government of neglecting the environment sector, claiming that when the current government assumed the office, the Environment Department was possessing six broken motorcycles. She said the nearly 1000 personnels were currently serving the environmental protection force.
Highlighting the CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz initiative about the environmental reform right after taking office by referring to the electric bikes and rickshaw subsidy schemes, the introduction of 2000 electric buses beginning from south Punjab, air quality monitoring across ten zones under the clean air program, waste recycling initiatives under the get ‘Suthra Punjab” programme and campaigns promoting plastic free union council and recycling in educational institutions.
She also highlighted the development projects for south Punjab, stating that 55 percent of beneficiaries under the Assan Programme belonged to the region. She said that thousands of residents of districts including Khanewal and Bhakkar had received Himmat card questioning why the opposition objected whenever the south Punjab’s development was discussed.
Later in her speech, Marriyum Aurangzeb said all approved development schemes had been included in the budget for the first time, while Punjab’s Growth Policy would be unveiled next month.
She added that 1,600 government offices had been digitized.
