LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the tax-free budget has exposed the hollow and false propaganda unleashed by the detractors of the Punjab government. He said despite economic constraints a balanced budget had been presented which reflected aspirations of the masses. He said special attention had been paid to the development of South Punjab in the budget and record funds of 52 billion rupees had been allocated for the region. The CM said this during a meeting with the assembly members at Chief Ministers Secretariat at Assembly Chamber here on Thursday. He said no burden had been put on the poor and Annual Development Programme of Rs 193.5 billion reflected that all out resources were being utilised on the welfare of the masses. He said those who were raising hue and cry over the deprivations of South Punjab, spent a total amount of only Rs 68 billion during their five year rule while the PML-N government executed projects worth Rs 42 billion during 2009-10 whereas Rs 52 billion had been allocated in the next fiscal year. He said 60 per cent of Punjab Educational Endowment Fund and 90 per cent of Punjab Education Foundation was being spent in South Punjab. He said unemployment problem had assumed serious proportions and causing disillusionment in the new generation. He said the Punjab government had decided to set up Punjab Youth Employment Fund to provide respectable jobs to talented youths and this step would help them achieve their due status in the society. He said provision of better healthcare facilities to the people was among the top priorities of the government and Rs 6 billion had been allocated to provide free medicines to the patients in all tehsil and district headquarters hospitals of the province on the pattern of last year. Similarly, he said, the scope of provision of free dialysis facility was being extended to the entire province in the next fiscal year and a sum of Rs 30 crore had been allocated for this purpose. He said special attention was being paid to education, health, water supply and drainage and social welfare sectors in the development budget of next fiscal year and funds of Rs 68.25 billion were being provided for this purpose which are 14 per cent more than the revised budget of current fiscal year. He said welfare projects for the poor including sasti roti scheme would continue during the next fiscal year. He said solid measures had been taken by the government to remove flaws in the sasti roti scheme and people from all walks of life had been included to monitor this welfare project. He urged the public representatives to effectively monitor the scheme in their respective areas so that widows and destitute persons could benefit from this scheme in the real sense. The assembly members congratulated the chief minister on presenting a tax-free budget despite difficult economic circumstances and energy crisis.