The Punjab government has declared the resumption of the student laptop program and has budgeted Rs. 10 billion for it in the fiscal year 2024–2025.
In his budget address, Punjab Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman stated that the foundation of Pakistan’s first IT city, “Nawaz Sharif IT City,” has been laid in just three months, demonstrating how quickly Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s ambition is coming true.
In many parts of the provincial capital, the government has made free WiFi available to the public; he said, the program is also being expanded to neighboring cities.
The Punjabi government allotted a total of Rs20.7 billion for both new and current IT and governance projects.
The Punjab administration has also suggested raising pension contributions by 15% in the budget for 2024–25, in addition to raising the pay of provincial employees by 20% to 25%.
The Grade 1–16 employee salary rise of 25%, the Grade 17–22 officer salary increase of 20%, and the 15% pension increase for retired workers were approved by the Punjab cabinet led by Chief Minister Maryam.
The minimum salary was subsequently raised by the province government from Rs32,000 to Rs37,000 per month.
