ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the government has steered the country out of difficult times and now it will witness sustainable growth and development.
He was addressing a ceremony after performing the groundbreaking of upgradation and rehabilitation of 62 kilometers long Lodhran-Multan highway which will be completed at a cost of Rs6.886 billion in two years.
PM Imran Khan said the country registered a growth of four percent this financial year despite COVID-19 challenge, adding that we have not only saved people from the pandemic but also the economy. He said there will be wealth generation and people will get job opportunities andpeople will continue to hear good news on the economic front.
He said the government is focusing on uplifting agriculture, industries, IT, housing, and tourism to take the country forward. He said a package is being brought for the farmers to bring a green revolution in the country.
He said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has entered the next phase of industrialization wherein Chinese companies will relocate their industries in the Special Economic Zones of Pakistan.
PM Imran Khan said they are building ten dams as part of efforts to enhance our water storage capacity and are planting ten billion trees to protect future generations. He said the government has given unprecedented incentives to the construction industry and as a result of which the cement sale has reached record levels.
Regarding the affordable houses for the people under Naya Pakistan Housing Program, the prime minister said the people have shown great interest in taking soft loans from the banks for the construction of houses. He said the banks have so far received loan demands of sixty billion rupees. He said the government also has a plan to establish financial institutions which only provide loans for the construction of houses.
The prime minister said they have struggled to purge the society from different mafias, who only work for their vested interests. He said their struggle is aimed at ensuring rule of law in the country as no society can progress without bringing the powerful people under the law.
Separate funds for South Punjab
In his remarks, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said three districts of South Punjab – Bahawalpur, Lodhran and Multan – will greatly benefit from the upgradation project He said this will reduce the travel time between Bahawalpur and Multan to only 45 minutes. He said it is the first time that separate development fund is being allocated for South Punjab from the budget of Punjab.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Communications Murad Saeed said the present government has completed road infrastructure of 1,753 kilometers in its tenure and plans to start work on another 6,118 kilometers of roads this year.
He said that groundbreaking of Sialkot-Kharian motorway will be performed in the next ten days. The approval has also been given for Kharian-Rawalpindi motorway which will be started in three months.
Murad Saeed said the present government initiated work on the western route of the CPEC which will bring prosperity in the underdeveloped areas of the country. He said the revenue of National Highway Authority (NHA) has increased by Rs72 billion rupees.
