Maryam says opposition should appreciate Punjab’s tax-free budget.
Opposition protest disrupts chief minister’s speech regarding 100-day performance in Punjab Assembly; Says presented tax-free budget; inflation reduced in Punjab; announces resumption of the laptop scheme; free milk to be provided to primary classes’ students after summer vacations; free wheelchairs will be provided to the disabled; no appointments to be made based on recommendations,
Lahore(Tahir Chuhdary);
Maryam Nawaz on Friday announced Punjab government’s plan to modernize agriculture, bring reforms in the education system and health sector in the province.
Addressing the Punjab Assembly, she listed 100 day performance of her government and promised sweeping changes in various sectors for uplift of the people of the province.
“It is impossible for me to summarize what we have done in 100 days in one budget speech,” the Punjab chief minister added.
She announced funding solar systems for agriculture tube-wells, tractors and farm equipment for the economic well being of farmers. The government would pay 70 percent price of a tractor, while farmer has to pay the remaining 30 percent, she added.
Maryam outlined her preferences to reform education sector stating provision of milk to the primary school students. The project would cost Rs27 billion, she continued.
She announced relaunch of the laptop scheme which was started by Shehbaz Sharif for the outstanding students, and added that every year 300,000 students would be given IT training.
US technology company Google would provide training to 300,000 children. The Punjab government also laid emphasis on skill development in schools, she maintained.
The opposition members raised slogans when she started her speech but she addressed the speaker and asked him to pay no heed to them.
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Highlighting budget 2024-25, Maryam said it was the first tax-free Punjab budget.
About the health sector, she said hospitals in the Punjab would be upgraded.
The chief minister of Punjab announced restart of delivery of free medicine to patients in hospitals which was suspended by the previous regime. Free drugs would be given to patients suffering from cancer, hepatitis and other diseases, she added
Maryam said for the first time in history, the Punjab government would launch Himmat Card, under which wheelchairs would be given to the disabled people.
The “clinic on wheels” is the most significant project of the Punjab government, Maryam said and added that in a few weeks 1.2 million people have been treated at their doorstep.
She said when she suspended doctors after death of 13 infants, they went on strike. Similar reaction was shown by nurses, she continued.
She warned doctors of strict action in future.
CM Punjab vows to defeat opposition through her performance
She announced construction of Nawaz Sharif cancer hospital. The Nawaz Sharif cardiac centre has started providing service. It would be provided two new ambulances, Maryam said, adding that she would provide health facilities in every within three years so that people need not travel to Lahore for treatment.
“Cardiology facility will be available in every city; every city will have a burn center.”
Maryam stated that the ruling PML-N President Nawaz Sharif had instructed the authorities that instead of one install two air conditioners in the prison cell of PTI founder Imran Khan— the former premier who is held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
She said that PTI’s trolls used to ridicule her for her public-friendly actions. “They take checking the price of roti at a tandoor as an insult and used to mock me.”
بیٹھ جائیں گلا بیٹھ جائے گا، مریم نواز کا اپوزیشن کے نعروں پر جواب
“Punjab is the only province that has reduced the price of roti. Instead of shouting slogans here, they [PTI lawmakers] should reduce prices [of roti] in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” she said.
Later, the speaker warned “miscreants” that he would deal with them according to the constitution and adjourned the session till 2 pm on Saturday.
The CM mentioned that a tax-free budget was presented in Punjab for the first time, which should have pleased the opposition as well. The citizens of Punjab have sighed in relief after years, she added.
The chief minister detailed that her government restored basic facilities to the masses, which were halted by the previous administration, especially the provision of free medicines at government hospitals. Moreover, inflation was brought down to its lowest level in years, she added.
Due to the noisy protests by the opposition, the provincial assembly failed to approve the supplementary budget and adjourned the session till Saturday, 2pm.
Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan said that he tried to run the house in a better way and now he would use his “constitutional powers” to maintain order.
CM Punjab directs to submit detailed PC-1 of all development projects by July 15
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari, while talking to journalists after the budget session, said that they also sat on the opposition benches but did not misbehave like today’s opposition.
She criticised the opposition for crossing the limits of misconduct and said that what happened during the chief minister’s address was regrettable.
Bukhari further stated that a tit-for-tat response would be given to the opposition and in the next session, the treasury would not listen to any opposition lawmaker’s speech.
