RAWALPINDI, Aug 23: The Punjab government has released Rs500 million for 225 uplift schemes for Rawalpindi district under members of parliament package.

The provincial government had provided Rs40 million each to six MNAs and 14 MPAs of the district. However, it released Rs500 million out of Rs800 million development package. The remaining amount will be released in the second quarter of the new fiscal year.

The Punjab government has directed the CDGR to ask members of the parliament to identify their schemes within a week so that work on them could be started next month. The government has also set a condition that the cost of the uplift scheme should not be less than Rs2 million. To accommodate maximum projects, the CDGR decided to club identical schemes as mostly lawmakers submitted projects whose cost was less than Rs2 million.

A senior official of the CDGR said the Punjab government had also made it clear that funds that had lapsed during the last fiscal year (2011-12) would not be released and the CDGR should accommodate the pending scheme through the MNAs and MPAs development package.

He said more the 20 per cent schemes were pending in the district as the administration failed to complete them during last fiscal year.

He said according to new rules, the lapsed funds would not be released in the next fiscal year and the development schemes would be completed through new allocation.

He said Rs500 million would be spent on development schemes including construction of roads, streets, water supply, sinking of tubewells, construction of additional rooms in the educational institute and provision of health facilities.

He said the provincial government provided Rs800 million development funds under MNAs/MPAs package in lieu of regular development package for the district.

He said the CDGR had approved its annual budget worth Rs10 billion and the entire amount went in payment of salaries of employees with 20 per cent increase in their salaries.

He said the provincial government provided Rs8.7 billion under Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) award and Rs1.3 billion additional grant for Rawalpindi.

He said the MNA from NA-55 – main city areas – Malik Shakeel Awan had submitted his development schemes and work on them would start next month.

MNA Awan said he had submitted schemes for refurbishment of four schools – Government Ziaul Uloom Boys School Raja Bazaar, Government Shimla Boys School Namak Mandi, Government Faizul Islam Boys School Iqbal Road and Government Municipal Corporation Boys School Moti Bazaar.

He said four tubewells had been recommended for the city areas and two tubewells for cantonment areas that fell under his constituency.