LAHORE, June 9: The Punjab government has set aside a record Rs53 billion for the Annual Development Plan (ADP) for the fiscal year 2005-06, about 22 per cent more than the outgoing year’s Rs43.440 billion.
The development allocation has been increased “to achieve accelerated growth, cut poverty, balance regional, gender and minority development and consolidate the existing physical and social infrastructure,” say budget documents.
The programme will be financed by province’s own resource (Rs43.17 billion) and foreign assistance (Rs9.83 billion), according to the budget documents presented before the Punjab Assembly here on Thursday.
Besides, a hefty amount of Rs10 billion has been allocated for local governments’ uplift plans from the provincial capital account and another Rs8.0 billion for semi-autonomous agencies.
Thirty-five per cent of the total ADP allocation has been earmarked for the social sector and 43 per cent for the infrastructure development programme.
At least 1,067 out of the total 1,727 schemes included in the ADP are expected to be completed during the next fiscal.
One-fourth of the total investment outlay will go to construction of roads, 17 per cent to education, 13 per cent to irrigation and eight per cent to water supplies.
For the agriculture sector, a sum of Rs925 million has been provided in addition to Rs2,500 million to be received from the federal PSDP for the improvement of watercourses and farm sector programme loan. The main focus will be on farm research, pest control, high value crops production, extension services and agriculture-marketing infrastructure development.
A sum of Rs500 million has been provided for the livestock sector for comprehensive health coverage for animals, training of livestock farmers, improving marketing system and applied research in the sector.
The forest, wildlife and fisheries sector will get Rs289 million for afforestation along canals, setting up forest parks, enumerating linear plantations, rehabilitating wildlife parks and zoological gardens, breeding centres, wildlife protection force in Cholistan and increasing fish production through research in fish disease and habitat.
A sum of Rs75 million has been allocated for the tourism sector with emphasis on preservation, development and beautification of attractive tourist locations.
To improve water use efficiency, equitable distribution of canal water, sustainable water supply to cultivable land, protecting soil productivity and efficient management of hill torrents and flash floods, an amount of Rs7,000 million has been earmarked in the ADP. It also includes feasibility studies in hydropower, remodelling Thal Canal, restoring capacity of BS Link Canal, and seven new small dams in the Potohar area.
The ADP includes an allocation of Rs275 million for the environment planning sector with major focus on upgrading facilities for monitoring subsoil water quality, air quality and gaseous emission in big cities, and environment education.
A sum of Rs200 million has been earmarked for the chief minister’s green programme for mitigating air pollution in the transport sector, landfill sites for solid waste disposal, sewerage and drainage systems in urban areas, and provision of clean drinking water.
The roads sector has got a major chunk of Rs12,500 million, of which Rs10,400 million have been earmarked for ongoing schemes. The main focus is to dualize the roads with high traffic volume and improvement of geometry of existing roads.
The ADP also includes eight ongoing and four new low-income housing sector schemes with a total financial outlay of over Rs204 million. The new schemes will be executed at Layyah, Jhelum, Hazro and Faisalabad.
For the provision of water supply and sanitation services in urban and rural areas of the province, a sum of Rs4,500 million has been allocated, besides Rs1,239 million chief minister’s accelerated social development programme for urban and rural areas.
The development outlay for the all important health sector has been increased by 65 per cent to Rs3,300 million for upgrading DHQ/THQ hospitals, RHCs and BHUs, establishing an organ transplantation centre and institutes of cardiology at Wazirabad and Faisalabad, extension of Punjab emergency ambulance services and for improvement in medical education.
In the education sector, a hefty amount of Rs9,200 million has been allocated for primary schooling with emphasis on providing missing infrastructure, free textbooks, stipends to girl students, merit scholarships, teachers training, computer education and upgradation of educational institutions.
An amount of Rs1,200 million has been provided for higher education and Rs714 million under CM’s accelerated programme for social development. An allocation of Rs500 million has been made for education of special children and upgrading their educational, sports and transport facilities.
Under the access to justice programme, a sum of Rs500 million has been apportioned for an effective, expeditious, inexpensive and quality justice system.
For poverty alleviation and development in less privileged and disadvantaged areas like Cholistan, Potohar barani areas and southern Punjab, at least Rs1,895 million have been allocated for greater farm-to-market access, increase in rural household income, access to credit for employing improved farm inputs and institutional support for skill development.
An amount of Rs273 million has been apportioned for social welfare, women development and Baitul Maal in the ADP. Day-care centres for children of working women will be set up in five districts and orphanages and senior citizens homes in 10 districts.
For the provision of quality wheat and its products as well as ensuring fair price to the growers, a sum of Rs200 million has been earmarked for the construction of silos of 150,000 tons capacity.
