LAHORE: The Punjab Planning and Development Department on Monday disclosed that Rs 282 billion under the annual development programme had been released for implementation of 6,080 development projects during first half of current financial year 2016-17.

A spokesman for the Planning and Development Department said that the Punjab government had approved Rs 550 under the annual development programme for financial year 2016-17, which was 38 percent higher than last fiscal year’s ADP.

“Out of this development budget, Rs 169 billion had been earmarked for social sector, including Rs 42.5 billion for health and Rs 68 billion for education, whereas Rs 158 billion for infrastructure development, which included roads, irrigation and public buildings, and an amount of Rs 29.2 billion had been allocated for development of agriculture and livestock sector, the spokesman said.

Giving break-up of the released funds under the current ADP, he said that this included Rs 44.5 billion for education, Rs 29.8 billion for health, Rs 24 billion for water supply and sanitation and Rs 3 billion for sports and youth affairs. “During current financial year, unprecedented allocations had been made for development of health, education, agriculture, irrigation and infrastructure development sectors,” he added.

He said that these funds were released across the province without any geographical discrimination, and added that funds against all ongoing development projects were released during first week of July 2016, enabling the executing agencies to start work on all projects.

A number of projects, he said, were being implemented in these areas, which include: Multan Metro Bus Project at the cost of Rs 30 billion; expansion of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Muzaffargarh at the cost of Rs 9 billion, Khawaja Fareed Engineering and IT University at Rahim Yar Khan at the cost of Rs 3.8 billion, Cardiac Surgery Block at BV Hospital, Bahawalpur at the cost of Rs 1.3 billion, upgradation of DHQ hospitals to teaching hospital ini Sialkot, Sahiwal, Gujranwala and DG Khan at the cost of Rs 12 billion, revamping of all DHQ hospitals and 15 THQ hospitals in Punjab at the cost of Rs five billion, Khadim-e-Punjab School Programme at the cost of Rs 50 billion, Tribal Areas Development Project for DG Khan and Rajanpur districts (Rs 3.381 billion), development schemes for Cholistan Development Authority (Rs 2.712 billion), development projects for barani areas (Rs 358 million), new Khanki Barrage (Rs.23 billion); rehabilitation of Trimu Barrage (Rs 17 billion), construction of small dams (Rs 7 billion) and the agriculture development package at the cost of Rs 20 billion.

Other projects include establishment of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur at the cost of Rs 3 billion, construction of Canal Expressway from Gutwala to Sahiawala, Faisalabad (Rs 6 billion), improvement of Jhal Khanuwana Chowk, Faisalabad (Rs 2.5 billion), completion of 13 sewerage/water supply schemes in Multan (Rs 3.67 billion), dualisation of the road from Bahawalpur to Hasilpur at the cost of Rs 5 billion, construction of flyover on GT Road on Aziz Cross Road, Gujranwala at the cost of Rs 6.6 billion and dualisation of Muridkey Narowal Road with a total outlay of Rs 4.4 billion.