The Punjab caretaker administration has approved an interim budget that will last for four months, from November 2023 to February 2024.
Provincial Information Minister Amir Mir unveiled the budget today at a news conference in Lahore, which comes to an astounding 2,027 billion rupees.
An astounding 450 billion rupees have been set aside for Punjab's development over this short time frame out of the budget that has been allotted.
In recognition of the vital role that agriculture plays in the province's economy, the government has also set aside 10 billion rupees for key projects in the agricultural sector.
Two billion more rupees have been set aside to support the information technology industry. In addition, the Punjab government has pledged to pay the federal government 80 billion rupees in debt.
Ten billion rupees have also been set aside by the caretaker government for the building and maintenance of infrastructure. It is anticipated that this investment will significantly contribute to improving the province's infrastructure.
The government has given all unlawful foreigners in Pakistan until October 31, 2023, to voluntarily depart the country in an effort to allay worries over illegal immigration. Commencing on November 1, an extensive operation, supported by a substantial budgetary allotment, will be launched to locate and expunge undocumented foreign nationals living in the country at present.
Pakistan is preparing for the next general elections, and Provincial Information Minister Amir Mir has reiterated that the polls will take place on time. Syed Mohsin Naqvi, the interim chief minister, and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja have reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to ensure a fair and impartial electoral process.
The Punjab government is actively making preparations in conjunction with the Chief Election Commissioner to ensure the security of the voting process. In Punjab, more than 50,000 voting places are being built, of which more than 7,000 are classified as highly sensitive areas requiring extra security.
In addition to the remarkable deployment of over 260,000 personnel allocated to voting places, an additional 145,000 personnel from the army and rangers are scheduled to perform security and peacekeeping duties during the elections.
To protect both the integrity of the voting process and the safety of foreign observers, extra security measures are also being implemented for the polls.