ISLAMABAD:President SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iftikhar Ali Malik on Thursday termed Punjab budget as people friendly and economic development oriented with major thrust on better health coverage, promoting quality education and strengthening agriculture besides fully bolstering SMEs for quick economic growth.
Commenting on the annual budget of Punjab, Iftikhar said that major allocations in health, education, infrastructure development, roads, communication and an excellent package of incentives for industries reflected a clear vision and operational framework of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shehbaz to ameliorate the conditions of the downtrodden.
He said that the budget would promise sustained economic development, prosperity and better quality of life for people from all strata of society. He further said that a special package for industrialists would help accelerate the economic activities and boost industrial production in addition to strengthening the national economy.
Agriculture and economy, he said, were interlinked with each other which always played a key role towards development, progress and prosperity, adding that the two sectors should be fully supported as top priority in order to achieve the desired results.
Iftikhar said that it was a good omen that several projects in health, education and road infrastructure sectors had also been planned under ADP in the budget for South Punjab which includes Bahawalpur, Multan and DG Khan divisions.
He said that appropriate outlay of funds in the budget was poised to promote religious tourism in the province which would also attract local and foreign tourists.
For uplifting minorities, the new budget made five times higher allocations than the previous year, he said.