LAHORE: Secretary Planning & Development (P&D) Punjab Iftikhar Ali Sahoo has said that the provincial government is committed to uplift living standard of the people of the province by providing all uplift resources.
He said that Orange Line Train Project would be functional by 2018 at cost USD 1.47 billion in the shape of soft loan from China. Lahore Knowledge Park being planned and is likely to be started in current financial year 2016-17.
He expressed these views while addressing the delegation of visited 16 members/officers of National School of Public Policy led by Dr. Saad Khan Directing Staff, NSPP at P&D Complex, Lahore on Wednesday.
Agha Waqar Javed member PPP, member PSW Malik Mukhtar Ahmad, Dr. Abid Bodla member ID, DGM&E Dr. Sajjad Mubin, Joint Chief Economist Dr. Amanullah, Director PERI Dr. Mumtaz Anwar, Additional Secretary (Admn) P&D Dr. Shahid Adil, Chief IT Shahid Farooq, Deputy Secretary (Establishment) Altaf Baloch, Deputy Secretary (Admn) Mirza Shahid Ismail & members of course attended the briefing session.
While welcoming the senior officers, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that the government intended to capitalize double private investment in the province.
He said that different major development projects has been launched in Punjab and the provincial government in collaboration with federal government was investing more in energy sector to resolve the issue of energy crisis.
He said that now Punjab government was moving towards good governance in the province and added effective efforts were being made to involve the private sector into public sector.
Southern Punjab was being focused by the government on its top priority agenda. Under the Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Road Program, the government had finished its task to complete Phase-I & II Project while third phase of KPRRP was going on for completion.
Under this project total 20,000 km Rural Roads with the investment of USD 1.5 billion would be completed soon.
Drug Control Testing Laboratories was being established with the state of art in Punjab.
Government had already initiated Chief Minister Saaf Pani project Rs. 200 billion for provision of clean drinking water to the public.
Human development was a one of priority area of Government. Government was trying to ensure full participation of private experts, academia, civil society & development partners in policy dialogue.
Over 1-million students, under the government initiatives, had been assessed on computer tablets.
Quaid-e-Azam Apparel Park was being executed with Chinese investment by the government. Punjab government had also introduced Mass Transport System in three major cities of the province along with distance of 70 km. 11 million children had been enrolled in 52,000 public schools.
Punjab education endowment fund had supported 200, 000 students in higher education.
Revamping of major hospitals in Punjab had been made positively and immunization been improved with the scale of 88% to 92% in three years and Rs. 200 billion been allocated for next three years.
He told the participants that Punjab Government had enhanced 3% quota for disabled in Government Jobs.
Government increased allocation for focusing on social sector development then infrastructure development.
Secretary P&D said that Punjab Government had engaged specialists and consultants from market and also placed at disposal of administrative departments for formulation of Annul Development Program (ADP).
On the occasion, Director General M&E, P&D Dr. Sajjad Mubin briefed on Monitoring & Evaluation’s role while member PPP Cell Agha Waqar Javed gave presentation on Public Private Partnership Cell. —INP
