LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to cut its non-development expenditures and set ‘realistic’ targets for increasing resources in the eight-month budget the provincial government is going to present on Oct 16.

“Reduce non-development expenses and introduce financial discipline and austerity in each department for creating financial space to provide relief to the masses,” Chief Minister Usman Buzdar directed the officials concerned in a meeting held here on Monday to ponder on various proposals for the Nov 2018-June 2019 budget to be presented in the Punjab Assembly.

The meeting also reviewed in detail the Annual Development Plan (ADP).

The chief minister was briefed about the recommendations related to budget, ADP and increase in financial resources.

Mr Buzdar said realistic targets would be set to increase the resources and people would be given maximum facilities by ensuring financial discipline in government departments.

“A culture of austerity, simplicity and saving will be introduced at every level and resources will be provided to arrange basic amenities for the people by decreasing unnecessary expenditures without burdening the common man,” he said.

“The culture of change should be visible in our first budget and deprived areas should be given preference in the development programme,” he added.

He said more attention should be given on the provision of basic amenities.

Mr Buzdar said development and prosperity of south Punjab was part of the PTI manifesto and the development programme would reflect the objective.

Senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan said revenue would have to be increased along with bringing “reasonable” decrease in the government’s expenditures. The traditional procedure of increasing the resources would have to be avoided and for that purpose the departments were needed to work on innovative ideas, he said.

Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht assured the meeting that the first budget of the PTI government would depict realistic statistics and targets.

Ministers Mohsin Leghari, Malik Anwar, Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmed, Ansar Majeed, Jehanzeb Khan Khichhi, the chief secretary, chairman of P&D, senior member of the Board of Revenue, secretaries of concerned departments and other senior officers attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2018