Photo: PPI
Lahore: The Punjab Cabinet approved the budget for the next 4 months of November 2023 to February 2024 of the current financial year.
The 31st meeting of the Punjab Cabinet was held under the chairmanship of Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in which the budget of 2076.2 billion rupees was approved for the next 4 months. The cabinet also approved development expenditure of Rs 351 billion.
50 billion rupees will be allocated to provide relief to the people of the province, 208 billion rupees in the health sector, 222 billion rupees in the education sector and 10 billion rupees for the development of the agricultural sector.
It was decided to allocate 1 billion 80 crore rupees for the National Health Support Program while 5 billion rupees was approved for Punjab textbooks. An allocation of 30 billion rupees was approved to deal with the challenge of climate change.
The Finance Secretary gave a briefing about the important features of the budget for the next 4 months. Secretary Finance briefed the cabinet members about the financial position and surplus resources of the Punjab government.
In the briefing, the Finance Secretary said that the Punjab government is financially strong and stable, the budget of the province is not in deficit but in surplus.
The Punjab Cabinet approved the implementation of the minimum wage of Rs 32,000 from July 1, 2023.
Anti-smog measures were also reviewed in the meeting. It was decided to strictly implement anti-smog measures across Punjab, especially in Sheikhupura, Sahiwal, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Lahore and Kasur.
Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that a zero-tolerance policy should be adopted against those who violate anti-smog measures, commissioners and deputy commissioners should crackdown effectively on smoke-emitting vehicles and brick kilns, construction projects and under-construction buildings. Water should be sprinkled outside regularly, the law prohibiting burning of crop residues should be strictly enforced.
The Punjab Price Control for Essential Commodities Ordinance 2023 was also approved.
The Punjab Cabinet appreciated the performance of Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dal and his team for preparing the 4-month budget. Provincial Ministers, Advisors, Chief Secretary, Inspector General Police, Advocate General Punjab, Chairman Planning and Development Board, Secretaries and senior officials attended the meeting.
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