TAXILA: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar would soon announce a multi-billion development package for the district of Attock.

This was stated by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam while talking to newsmen on Saturday. He said under the development package of education sector, the chief minister would announce the establishment of University of Attock, provision of Rs20 million for completion of the sub-campus of Arid Agriculture University and linkage of the university with Air University Attock in the field of research.

He said a sub-campus of Allama Iqbal Open University would also be established in Attock for which land has been acquired and work on the building would be initiated during the current fiscal year.

He said the government would also announce health insurance to more than two million population of the district.

“We are eying December 2021 as the timeline for expansion of the health insurance coverage to all the tehsils of Attock district. He said that the Punjab government had also constituted a ministerial committee to ensure implementation of the universal health insurance programme on time.

Mr Aslam said after completion of the process, CNIC will be valid as the universal health insurance card and the residents of Attock will have access to 450 hospitals across the country that are on the panel of the federal government.

He said Sehat Sahulat Programme is a social health protection initiative of the government providing free of cost health insurance in the form of Sehat Insaf Card.

He said the chief minister would also perform the groundbreaking of a 200-bed Mother and Child Hospital and Nursing College in Attock.

Moreover, Rs4 billion will be spent on the provision of gas to 14 villages in NA-55 and 35 villages in NA-56 while work on provision of the facility to around 80 villages in the district is in progress, he added.

The issue of low gas pressure will also be resolved soon for which Rs1.4 billion have been separately allocated, he added.

The prime minister’s aide said Attock to Haji Shah road would be dualised while Boota to Bhatiot road would be reconstructed which would benefit thousands of people in the Pindigheb tehsil.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2021