LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Friday made a commitment to the people of Punjab about systematic reforms, assuring them that she will not let them down. Addressing the concluding budget session of the Punjab Assembly, she pledged to tirelessly work every day, hour, and minute to improve the lives of the citizens and bring about positive changes in the system.
She emphasized that no appointments in Punjab have been made against merit, asserting that no other chief minister can make such a claim.
When the opposition members resorted to sloganeering to disrupt her speech, she told them to calm down and sit on their seats. “Sit down, opposition members, you will lose your voice. “Mr. Speaker, you see, the opposition is going to do this uproar for the next five years,” said Maryam Nawaz appealed to the opposition, stating, “Let Pakistan progress, opposition members are also my brothers and sisters. I know many of them are patriotic Pakistanis.” She expressed the hope that the opposition would appreciate the budget as it did not impose any new taxes on the people of Punjab for the first time.
“The opposition creates noise because they have nothing substantial to say,” she remarked, adding that “anyone can make noise, but true service is a privilege granted to a few.” She affirmed that the opposition would be defeated by the government’s performance.
Criticizing the previous PTI government, she mentioned that after three months of their performance, they claimed, “We were busy,” but they were actually busy with vengeance and setting new records of incompetence. She mentioned that Nawaz Sharif has no objections to installing air conditioners for Imran Khan in jail, highlighting the previous government’s focus on retribution rather than service. “I swear that the Punjab government and Nawaz Sharif never ordered the cessation of any facilities for the opposition,” she declared, adding that Imran Khan has privileges not afforded to other thieves. Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed pride in the accomplishments of her government in the past 100 days. She noted that unlike previous administrations, she won’t complain about the past’s corruption and inefficiency. She announced significant measures including the launch of a laptop scheme worth 10 billion rupees, in collaboration with Google International, which will provide digital skills training to over 300,000 children annually. Additionally, new tech education programs, such as Middle Tech, Matric Tech, and Inter Tech, are being introduced for the first time. The CM also unveiled initiatives in machine learning, artificial intelligence, e-merchandising, and startups skill development programs, aiming to educate 4,000 children in IT across every district of Punjab. Sports competitions will be held in every district, with school sports grounds being converted into community sports grounds.
She assured that students excelling academically would have their university fees paid by her. The minimum wage has been increased to Rs. 37,000 and systems are being implemented to ensure workers receive their full wages.
Skill development programs for the children of laborers, including courses in plumbing, nursing, electrician work, and hotel industry skills, will be launched, and the “Maryam Ki Dastak” project will include 65 more services within three months across all districts, she said. Centers of Excellence for differently abled individuals and autism centers were being established in every district. The first pre-school, Nawaz Sharif Children’s Library, will be set up in Lahore, offering state-of-the-art facilities and specialized teachers.
She announced the issuance of “Himmat Cards” for disabled and bedridden individuals, the provision of wheelchairs, subsidized threshers and super seeders for farmers, and the initiation of solar-powered agriculture tube wells. Focus is on increasing oil seed production, with a 30 billion rupees green tractor scheme where 70% of the cost will be covered by the government; she said and thanked the acting chief justice of Lahore High Court for ending the young doctors association’s strike.
If anyone disrupts the service to poor patients, I will not sit idle. I will not succumb to any blackmail. If the exploitation of poor patients occurs, I will not stand silently by, she vowed. The government was establishing rescue services and trauma centers on all motorways in Punjab. This week, two air ambulances are arriving in Pakistan, which will serve the poor, not the wealthy. We are building the first Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital in Pakistan, with outpatient services starting in a few months. Additionally, we are adding 500 more mobile clinics, she added.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif stated that the construction of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology has begun. In the next three years, every city will have facilities for burn treatment, cardiology, and cancer care. We are providing cardiology and cardiac surgery services in eight districts of Punjab. An advanced emergency response system was being launched in Punjab. The first Nawaz Sharif IT City in Pakistan was progressing successfully. High-speed Wi-Fi was being provided at 200 locations in Lahore, and this free Wi-Fi project will be extended throughout Punjab, she further said.
In three months, the CM said that the safe city system will be operational in 18 districts, and within a year, it will be launched in all 36 districts of Punjab. Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced the establishment of waste management companies in all districts, which will be implemented across Punjab in three to four months. Waste will be collected from homes and transported to landfill sites. The Green Punjab goals include the Plant for Pakistan initiative, a climate-resilient smog-free Punjab, wildlife census and the largest tree-planting campaign in history. This is not like the Billion Tree Tsunami where the trees seemed to wear an invisibility cloak and were never seen, she maintained.
For the first time, 700 new buses were being added to the public transport system across Punjab. A petrol and e-bike project for students has been launched, with motorcycles being distributed to students on July 10. Initially, 10,000 applications for e-bikes were received from female students, so the number was increased from 20,000 to 30,000. A pilot project for shrimp farming has begun, with the first yield expected in the market in two months. Over 600 road repair and restoration projects have also started, the CM stated.
In her address, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif noted that the elected government of Punjab has completed 100 days. She expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for presenting the first budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, which is the largest in Punjab’s history. Summarizing 100 days of work in one budget speech is impossible. She acknowledged that running this government was a double challenge, as stated in her inaugural speech.
Punjab has been led by Chief Ministers like Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, who set performance records and transformed the lives of the people through their service. As a representative of the new generation, I aim to bring innovation and modernization to the governance system. In these 100 days, we have accomplished all that we promised. I thank Nawaz Sharif for his guidance and daily support, which has led us to this historic achievement, the CM said.
The CM expressed gratitude to PM Shehbaz Sharif for his encouragement and appreciation at every step. She thanked the people of Punjab for recognizing their 100-day performance. The iPoll survey showed that the majority in Punjab wholeheartedly supports our government, inspiring a renewed passion for public service, she said.
The CM praised Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman for making the historic budget possible. She also commended Secretary Finance Mujahid Sherdil and his team for preparing the budget according to her and Nawaz Sharif’s vision. Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Chairman P&D and their teams also deserve accolades for their efforts, she said.
The Punjab government has initiated 100% cashback schemes and the CM lauded all ministers for stepping out of their offices and serving the public in the field. She noted that never before in the history of Pakistan and Punjab has such an educated and youthful cabinet been formed. She thanked all the MPAs of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) for standing by her and making the journey of service possible.
She stated that Punjab’s budget is not a manipulation of words or a fraud. I promise to fulfill my commitment within a year, InSha’Allah. No taxes have been imposed on the people of Punjab in this budget. The amount we are investing in health and education is unprecedented. By the grace of Allah, inflation has significantly reduced and people are finally breathing a sigh of relief after years of incompetence by previous administrations. The medicines that were unavailable in hospitals during the previous tenure were now being provided again. Free medicines were being distributed in all government hospitals and delivered to people’s doorsteps, she added.
If I had inherited a prosperous and developing Punjab from Shehbaz Sharif, I would have taken it even further. Instead, I inherited a Punjab where no work is done without corruption. These people cannot showcase a single developmental project after four years. During their tenure, there was a significant decline in all development indicators. Due to the difficult decisions made by the Punjab government, the price of flour has significantly decreased, and the price of bread has reduced from 25 rupees to 13 rupees. We have ensured the implementation of this price reduction across the province. They think checking the price of bread at a tandoor is a minor task. However, Punjab’s government made tough decisions keeping the public in mind, resulting in a historic decrease in food inflation. Inflation is at its lowest in many years. A 10-kilogram bag of flour, which was 1380 rupees in March, is now available for 800 rupees. While other provinces made announcements, they couldn’t provide bread at 13 rupees. Punjab’s decisions played a crucial role in reducing the prices of wheat, flour, and related products, which had a direct impact on national inflation rates. For the first time, the benefits of reduced petrol and diesel prices were passed on to the public, the CM said.
In Punjab, deputy commissioners refunded the excess fare collected from passengers in buses. Transporters charging extra fares were fined. I thank the commissioners, deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners for their cooperation in controlling prices. Punjab does not have oil wells or hidden treasures; it has the same resources, bureaucracy and machinery. The difference lies in our mindset, which is focused on the public. People often think that the position of chief minister is for wielding power and using jets and cars. However, the role entrusted to me is a trust from the nation, and I will not betray it, she said.
During Eid-ul-Adha, despite the extreme heat, the district administration efficiently removed waste from the streets and ensured cleanliness. This time, there was no foul smell lingering on the roads. Punjab’s administration worked for 18 hours a day. Provincial Minister for Local Government Zeeshan Rafiq did not stay at home for three days and was present with the public on the streets. We are establishing an enforcement authority to eliminate hoarding, profiteering, illegal encroachments, enforce the law and control prices. This new force will serve the public across all districts of Punjab. The primary responsibility of the enforcement authority is to control artificial inflation. Under the ‘Maryam Ki Dastak’ program, we have delivered services to the doorsteps of Punjab’s citizens. A 30 billion rupees Ramadan package was delivered door-to-door. Health services and free medicines are being provided at the doorsteps of the people. In the first phase of the ‘Maryam Ki Dastak’ project, arrangements have been made to deliver 10 services to the people’s doorsteps.
We have established key performance indicators for commissioners and deputy commissioners and I personallymonitor their performance. We are also improving law and order. During the previous tenure, there were cases of ghost enrollments in schools, with discrepancies like having 40 teachers for 200 students in some places and only two teachers for 300 students in others. InSha’Allah, we will rectify everything in the education sector this year. For the first time, we are restructuring the education sector, mapping schools in terms of facilities and deficiencies. Special attention was being given to curriculum development, teacher training, teacher accountability and assessing learning outcomes. We are making a comprehensive plan to enroll out-of-school children in good schools. The Punjab government was integrating early years education into its educational system. For disabled individuals who cannot afford a wheelchair, we will deliver a wheelchair to their homes, she said.
During visits to schools, it was found that many children come to school without breakfast due to poverty. Many children faint at school because they haven’t eaten breakfast. We are starting a free meal program from preschool to fifth grade across Punjab. The free meal project is worth 27 billion rupees, which will meet the nutritional needs of children and improve their growth. The pilot project for the free meal program will begin in South Punjab. After the summer holidays, the Punjab government will provide free milk to all children in schools.
I am also going to restart the laptop scheme from Shehbaz Sharif’s era. In the evening, local residents will be able to use the grounds for sports activities. We have decided to build sports grounds at the level of every union council. Instructions have also been issued to make sports fields child-friendly. The process of selecting university vice-chancellors is ongoing, and not a single appointment has been made against merit. In 100 days, I have not accepted any recommendations from relatives or friends. We are bringing a scholarship program worth 25 billion rupees for Punjab students. No child admitted on merit will be deprived of education due to lack of fees, she said.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that the health sector was very close to her heart. Corruption and incompetence have also become part of our health system. We are determined to revolutionize the health sector. Work has started on the plan to upgrade all rural health centers, THQs and tertiary hospitals. Medicines for heart diseases, TB, cancer and hepatitis were being delivered to people’s homes. She expressed great happiness when a woman showed her heart medication that was delivered to her home. The field hospitals and clinics on wheels project was one of the most successful projects. In a few weeks, 1.2 million people received treatment at their doorstep. The field hospitals offer free medicines, X-rays, lab tests and ECGs.
They beat us with police batons, we will beat them with our performance. We are providing incentives to send doctors to areas where there are no medical facilities. After this, there will be no shortage of doctors in remote areas. The YDA often goes on strike over minor issues. In Sahiwal Hospital, 13 children died in four days due to fire and suffocation. When action was taken against the administration after the investigation, the YDA went on strike. In Khanewal, three children died due to an injection administered by a nurse. When action was taken against the nurse, the nurses went on strike. I am dealing with this mindset and trying to bring reforms, said CM Punjab.
We are starting a project to provide homeless people with their own roof and house in Punjab. The Punjab government will provide an interest-free loan of 1.5 million rupees for building houses under easy terms. The Punjab government will also build houses for the public. This is not a false slogan like the 5 million houses; we are going to provide real houses to people. After five years, no street or road in Punjab will be broken and there will be a complete system for cleanliness and drainage. Punjab was the first province to implement the Sikh Marriage Act. We have started working on restructuring ministries and departments to save public money. These are all 90-day plans. What we have done in 100 days, all others together could not do in 300 years, concluded the CM.
