- Punjab information minister highlights Rs10b relief for flood victims, Rs100b for farmers
- Says 16 key projects to be shared publicly for transparency and accountability
- Warns of defamation action against those spreading false propaganda
LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bukhari on Tuesday said that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif had emerged as the first provincial chief executive to initiate and complete the highest number of development projects in Punjab’s history, reflecting a new era of transparency, merit, and public service.
Addressing a press conference at Alhamra Hall, the minister said that unlike past governments, which “only made promises,” the current Punjab government had delivered concrete results. She cited the Rs10 billion financial assistance distributed among flood victims and Rs100 billion provided to over one million farmers under the Kisan Card programme as evidence of performance-driven governance.
Azma Bukhari said the government had decided to brief the public on 16 major welfare and development projects initiated by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to ensure that “people know where their tax money is being spent.” She added that corruption had been eliminated from provincial administration, noting that “no rates or commissions of officers are fixed anymore,” while the bureaucracy’s performance is now monitored through KPIs to enhance service transparency.
Highlighting achievements under the ‘Sathra Punjab’ initiative, she said 140,000 workers and 2,000 officers were engaged in maintaining the province’s sanitation system, disposing of over 9.4 million tonnes of waste, the largest cleanup operation in Punjab’s history.
She said Phase II of the Electric Bus Project was being launched, under which 200 new buses would be added, while 1,100 electric buses would be operational in 42 cities by December.
The minister described the Apna Ghar, Apna Chhat housing programme as the “pride of Maryam Nawaz,” noting that 14,800 families had received housing loans, 30,000 houses had been completed, and 90 percent of the remaining units were in the final stages of construction.
She said the home delivery of medicines for cancer and heart patients, the successful surgery of 7,000 children under the Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, and the upcoming Cardiology Hospital in Sargodha reflected the government’s welfare priorities.
Azma Bukhari added that treatment in government hospitals is now completely free, eliminating the need for health cards, while a new cancer hospital would start emergency services next month.
On youth empowerment, she said 27,000 students had received interest-free e-bikes, including 8,200 female students, and a special e-bike scheme for orphans had also been launched under Maryam Nawaz’s directive.
Criticising the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Bukhari quipped that she wished for “a lens that could show KP rulers the deprivation, broken roads, empty schools, and poor law and order in their province,” adding that Punjab would gladly assist in making such a lens.
Responding to a question, she warned that those spreading false propaganda using the names of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz should be prepared for legal action, as cases were being taken to defamation courts.
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