LAHORE: The Punjab government on Friday presented its second budget for the fiscal year 2014-2015 in the provincial assembly with a total outlay of Rs1044.9 billion.
The budget was presented by the Punjab finance minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman in a session of the house chaired by the speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal.
In the budget for the next fiscal year, the minimum wages of the workers have been increased from Rs10,000 to Rs12,000.
The Punjab finance minister said that a record amount of Rs345 billion is being earmarked for the annual development program. Out of this, Rs96 billion have been earmarked for the social sector, Rs137.5 billion for communication and works, Rs20.7 billion for production, and Rs18 billion for special programs.
The finance minister said that the existing growth rate is five percent that will be taken up to eight percent.
Shujaur Rehman said that two million people will be imparted training in various skills in two years and Rs6 billion have been allocated in this regard. He said that four million new employment opportunities will be created during the next four years.
The minister said that 36 percent of the budget will be spent in southern Punjab under which projects worth Rs263 billion will be completed.
The longest metro bus service will be started in Multan and Khanewal to Lodhran two-way road will also be constructed, he said. The minister said that a modern hospital will be set up in Muzaffargarh with the cooperation of Turkey.
The house was told that the new development projects for the southern Punjab include Khawaja Farid University and I.T. at Rahim Yar Khan, a medical college for Bahawalnagar, Children Hospital at Multan, Restoration and Reconstruction of Sulemanki Barrage and Pakpattan Canal and chair lift and water supply scheme at Fort Munro.
The Punjab finance minister said that offices of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) and Examination Centres are being set up at Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan to provide employment to the local youth.
Likewise, for maintaining law and order in the province, the Punjab government has allocated Rs81.68 billion which is 16 percent more than the current allocation. For tackling terrorism, another Rs5 billion are being allocated.
