LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed the supplementary budget for the outgoing fiscal year 2019-20 with a majority.

The House approved all 38 Supplementary Demands for Grants to the tune of more than Rs 100 billion, rejecting cut motions moved by the opposition legislators.

The session started one hour and 55 minutes behind the scheduled time with Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi in the chair.

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar while speaking on the floor of the House said that in the past, ongoing projects were halted, an example of which is the Punjab Assembly building. For the first time in history, we will complete all other projects, including the Metro Orange Line.

Buzdar also said that the government is taking practical steps to control the coronavirus pandemic and to save the crops from the Locust attack. He said the PTI government is appointing officers on merit.

Buzdar said that the PTI-led government has fulfilled the promise of the Southern Punjab Secretariat made with the people of southern Punjab. Additional Chief Secretary (South) and Additional IG (South) have been posted and both will assume their duties from July 1. Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi congratulated the Chief Minister of Punjab and all the members of the Assembly on the approval of the budget.

He said that a lot of people criticized that holding of budget session in the hotel is very expensive but only three million has been paid to the hotel for the budget meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020