LAHORE: The Punjab government has released Rs282 billion in the first six months of financial year 2016-17 for 6,080 development projects across the province with major spending on education, health and water supply/sanitation.

The amount spent in July-December 2016 is more than half of the total development programme of Rs550bn approved by the Punjab Assembly for the current fiscal year, 38 per cent higher than the development programme of 2015-16.

Of Rs550bn, up to Rs169bn has been earmarked for the social sectors, including Rs42.5bn for health, Rs68bn for education, Rs158bn for infrastructure development and Rs29.2bn has been allocated for the development of agriculture and livestock sectors.

According to spokesperson for the Punjab Planning and Development Department, of Rs282bn, up to Rs44.5bn has been spent on education, Rs29.8bn on health, Rs24bn on water supply and sanitation and Rs3bn on sports and youth affairs.

The spokesman says those funds were released against the implementation of schemes without any geographical discrimination.

He says entire funds were released in the first week of July 2016, thus enabling the executing agencies to start development work at all projects.

Among the prominent projects currently under way are Multan Metro Bus System at the cost of Rs30 billion, expansion of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital, Muzaffargarh, at the cost of Rs9 billion, Khawaja Fareed Engineering and IT University in Rahim Yar Khan at Rs38 billion, a cardiac surgery block at BV Hospital of Bahawalpur at Rs1.3 billion, up-grade of district headquarters (DHQs) hospitals to teaching hospital in Sialkot, Sahiwal, Gujranwala and Dera Ghazi Khan at Rs12 billion, revamping of DHQs hospitals and 15 tehsil headquarters hospitals in Punjab at Rs5 billion, Khadim-i-Punjab School Programme at Rs50 billion, Khadim-i-Punjab Rural Road Programme at Rs150 billion, Tribal Area Development for Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts at Rs3.381 billion, development schemes for the Cholistan Development Authority at Rs2.712 billion, and development projects for barani (rain-irrigated) areas at Rs358 million.

Other schemes are New Khanki Barrage (Rs23 billion), rehabilitation of Trimu Barrage (Rs17 billion), construction of small dams (Rs7 billion), agriculture development package (Rs20 billion), establishment of the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences in Bahawalpur (Rs3 billion), construction of the Canal Expressway from Gutwala to Sahiawala Faisalabad (Rs6 billion), improvement of Jhal Khanuwana Chowk of Faisalabad (Rs2.5 billion), completion of 13 sewerage/water supply schemes of Multan Wasa (Rs3.67 billion), dualisation of road from Bahawalpur to Hasilpur (Rs5 billion), construction of a flyover on GT Road at Aziz Cross Road in Gujranwala (Rs6.6 billion) and dualisation of Muridke-Narowal Road (Rs4.4 billion).

Published in Dawn January 17th, 2017