Shahbaz reviews uplift schemes

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif Monday said that officers showing negligence inthe completion of public welfare projects would be held accountable.

He was addressing a meeting to review the pace of ongoing development projects under special packages for big cities and districts, Southern Development Programme and Annual Development Programme here.

He said that red-tapism should not be allowed to become a hurdle in the execution of the uplift projects.

He said that public welfare and provision of basic amenities to the masses was the foremost responsibility of the government and in view of this fact there was a need to bring a positive change in the thinking.

He directed that pace of implementation of development project be further accelerated and completion of uplift schemes in a transparent manner should be ensured so that people could benefit from them as early as possible.

The Chief Minister said that all out resources were being utilized for the speedy development of the province and provision of basic amenities to the masses while transparent and expeditious implementation of development projects was being ensured.

He said that such projects were being given precedence under Southern Development Programme, Annual Development Programme and Special Packages as could benefit maximum people.

He said that development of backward areas to bring them at par with the developed ones was the priority of the government and uplift projects were being executed expeditiously in such areas.

He said that special attention was being paid to the development of rural areas during the current fiscal year and record funds were being utilized for this purpose.

He said that an effective programme was being implemented for the provision of better education and health facilities to the masses.

He said that educational institutions, modern hospitals and new medical colleges were being set up in the province. He said that classes had already been started in the medical colleges of Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Gujranwala and Sialkot while construction work of the buildings of these colleges has been initiated.

He said that construction of the building of the medical college of Sialkot would soon be started. He said that the project of mobile health units equipped with modern treatment facilities had been launched for the provision of quality health services to the people of backward areas at their doorstep and six mobile health units were already functioning in remote areas of South Punjab.