Punjab’s first woman Chief Minister – Maryam Nawaz – made her province speak louder over significant steps in health, education, agriculture, and civic facilities sectors during 100 days of her government. Surveys revealed her performance as smart and satisfactory to the people.
The Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) recently released a survey report titled, ‘Punjab Speaks—Public Perception of Performance.’ The IPOR is an independent research institution. The results revealed people in Punjab were satisfied with this government’s 100 days performance.
According to the survey 55% of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the Punjab government’s performance and showed CM’s approval rating higher in the urban area -62%, – than 48% in the rural areas. It said 53% of surveyed believed the government took crucial steps to reduce prices of daily-use commodities. A decrease in Roti prices was the most favored step for 44% of respondents. Her most popular initiatives for the public include the Solar Panel Program.
After assuming the office, she gave a policy statement focusing on development in health, education, agriculture, law and order, infrastructure, and information technology areas. She provided a “Ramadanpackage” of Rs. 30 billion for the unprivileged, approved the start of a metro bus project in three cities, and sought a plan for an underground train project in Lahore. Targeting the construction of 100,000 houses in five major cities towards addressing the housing needs of vulnerable communities is also a significant step of this chief minister. She announced a project involving 20,000 electric and petrol bikes for students on easy installments besides a 657-bus service project in five cities within the first 100 days of her government in Punjab.
Health sector
Following her commitment to revolutionize the health sector by expediting health projects, she vowed the construction and revamping of the Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs) with major hospitals across Punjab by June next year; She announced allowances to doctors working in remote areas. During this period of work the Phase-I of the construction of the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Care Hospital was started with an estimated cost of Rs. 46 billion.
This hospital aims cancer care clinics, state-of-the-art facilities, and world-class doctors who will be provided residences, solar sheds, and parking, beside inns and restaurants for the attendants. It is a 280-bed hospital. She ensured supply of medicines in all Punjab healthcare facilities.
She broadcasted the establishment of a specialized hospital for bone marrow transplants and a free insulin program in Punjab. She approved the implantation of artificial limbs for disabled persons, agreed to a cancer treatment unit at Qatar Hospital in Bhakkar, and a full-fledged hospital in Rajanpur district. Conversion of the Simli TB Hospital to a general hospital, medical colleges in every district on a public-private partnership basis were ordered. Digital records in primary and rural health centers were introduced in these 100 days.
Delivering of free medications for heart diseases, TB, cancer, and hepatitis directly to people’s homes, field hospitals across Punjab providing free X-rays, lab tests, ECGs and medicines, with plans to expand mobile clinics by 500 are also her initiatives. To reduce rural to urban patient transfers, she announced plans to establish cardiology and pediatric blocks in important districts.
Funds for free medicine were increased from Rs 2 billion (bn) to Rs 6 bn. The revamping of 2500 Basic Health Units and 300 Rural Health Centers of Punjab is in swing of which some have been already completed. The CM announced Pakistan’s first air ambulance on which training is underway. She took steps for modern labs in every city and announced functioning of cardiology institute Sargodha within a year. She promised building a state-of-the-art hospital with a cardiology and cancer unit, in every district of Punjab and announced the first medical city built in Lahore. Modern medical storage system across Punjab and launching of a “Grand Health Program” are among her initiatives
Education sector
Her government announced a five-year education reform plan and started providing 32,298 computer tablets to the heads of primary schools. Setting up STEM, IT, and science labs in 1,000 elementary schools with the aid of the Asian Development Bank are the initiatives taken in the education sector. She introduced the Google Certification for 300,000 children in government schools.
The students will be provided opportunities to avail Google Certification under the Digital Journey under the TECH Valley Project. Delivery of free books to government school students, Nawaz Sharif Children’s Library Complex in Lahore to start elementary education and preschool learning are also her government’s steps. The CM launched a ‘free milk’ program for children studying in government schools from pre-school to Grade V under a Rs. 27 bn project. She approved converting school grounds into community sports grounds, to help communities use them in the evenings.
Agriculture
The CM announced the provision of a variety of agricultural inputs to farmers at subsidized rates. She ordered the cementing of canals with rupees 10 bn and the provision of solar tube wells. Her government will provide a 60 percent subsidy on 56 types of agricultural machinery besides the provision of a thousand laser levelers to farmers. Other commendable steps she has announced include: Provision of solar systems and tube wells to farmers having land up to 25 acres of land. She committed to contacting the federal government to abolish the high-tech agricultural missionary tax and duty. She approved seed production from 400,000 tons to 600,000 tons, cultivation of soybean across 100,000 acres of land, 7.6 bn for machinery procurement, 10 bn for infrastructure, 10 bn for transitioning tube wells to solar power, 4 bn for rehabilitation of Department of Agriculture (Extension) and provision of easy loans to poor terms.
Rupees 1.25 bn for establishing model agriculture centers, and 2 bn rupees for establishing Centers of Excellence. Her government initiated the biggest tractor scheme with Rs. 30 bn. The 2024-25 budget was the first in which an amount of Rs. 64.61 billion was fixed for the development of agriculture.
Rs, 50.9 bn were kept in the non-developmental budget. The Punjab government allocated a total of 117 billion rupees for the development and non-development budget of agriculture in the current budget. The government announced interest-free loans of 150 billion rupees for farmers through CM Punjab Kisan Card to benefit 5 lakh families to buy seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.
All electric tube wells will be transferred to the solar system. Her government will provide 25000 agricultural machineries to farmers in 2 years with a 60/40 partnership. The Punjab government is also setting up agricultural malls where quality seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and machinery will be provided at controlled rates on rental basis. The government is working on bringing hi-tech machinery.
Punjab Budget
Another achievement of her government was the successful presentation of budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025. This budget had a historic annual development plan (ADP) totaling Rs. 842 bn. A significant feature of the ADP is that almost all sectors include chief minister’s special initiatives like Rs. 45 bn for the agriculture sector, Rs. 20 bn for urban development, Rs. 9 bn for primary healthcare, Rs. 8.5 bn for roads, Rs. 4 bn for Roshan gharana (solar scheme), Rs. 4 bn for sports and youth affairs, Rs. 5.2 bn for fisheries, Rs. 7 bn for livestock, and Rs. 5 bn for tourism. Education was allocated Rs. 65.5 bn with Rs. 45 bn for school education, Rs. 15 bn for higher education, and Rs. 6 bn for special and non-formal education. A new scheme, the CM’s school meal plan, received Rs. 500 million.
The health was allocated Rs. 128.6 bn – 11% more than the previous year, with Rs. 86 bn for specialized healthcare and Rs. 42 bn for primary and secondary health. Water supply and sanitation received Rs. 8 bn, social welfare Rs. 4 bn, women development Rs1.4 bn, and local government Rs. 61.57 bn. The irrigation department gets Rs. 25.8 bn. Agriculture, forestry, wildlife, fisheries, food, livestock, industries and commerce/investment, mines and minerals, and tourism receive Rs. 107.85 bn. Rs. 75 bn was allocated to the Kisan Card package.
