LAHORE - Punjab Assembly’s budget session is starting from today at 3 pm. It will continue for two weeks.

Punjab Minister for Finance Makhdoom Jawan Bakht will present the budget for remaining eight months of the fiscal year 2018-19.  Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Basharat Raja Monday told reporters that government will provide relief to the common man in its first budget for the current fiscal year.

Addressing a news conference at Assembly cafeteria, the minister also criticised the previous government for what he called its misplaced priorities. “In the past, official funds were spent on projects which had nothing to do with people’s welfare”, he said.  

Replying to a question on PTI’s defeat in by-elections, the law minister said it happened due to internal rifts within the party. He, however, insisted that neither it cause any harm to the ruling alliance nor did it make any dent in PTI’s vote bank.   Answering another question, he said that new local government bill would be introduced in Punjab Assembly after the budget session. He said government would spend 30 per cent of development funds through local governments unlike the previous government which did not spare even one-fourth of development funds to be utilized at the gross-roots level. 

On police reforms, the minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to change the police system in Punjab keeping in view the KP model which proved a success in that province. “But the same KP model of police reforms cannot be replicated in Punjab for the time being”, he said, adding that the two provinces had different political culture and environment.  To a question about the implementation status of prime minister’s 100-day programme, the law minister said that it would set a clear direction for the government to implement its welfare agenda. “But it would be reviewed further after completion of 100 days”, he said.