LAHORE: Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Auranzeb has termed the provincial budget 2025-26 ‘historic’ in terms of highest-ever Annual Development Programme (ADP) that primarily focuses on health and education.

“It is a historic budget, as it has the biggest-ever ADP focusing the health and education sectors primarily. This is not a budget but a ‘mission’ of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz wherein the CM has informed the people of Punjab about the expenditures,” Ms Aurangzeb said while speaking to journalists at a post-budget press conference here on Tuesday.

According to her, the Rs5.33 trillion budget includes Rs1.24tr worth of ADP, with 27 per cent allocated to education and health, followed by sectors such as agriculture, solid waste management, road infrastructure and clean drinking water.

“This clearly reflects a human-centric development approach,” she said.

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Ms Aurangzeb claimed that Punjab is the first province where solid waste is being collected door to door. She said as manyas 104 initiatives and over 3,000 development schemes of the CM were initiated in the ongoing fiscal across the province.

She said the scope of Water and Sanitation Agencies (WASAs) and Parks and Horticulture Authorities (PHAs) would also be expanded to 10 more districts. The senior minister said the development budget has been increased by 47pc compared to the previous fiscal year.

According to her, the environmental pollution in Punjab has witnessed a significant reduction and there have been notable improvements across the province. She informed that Rs10 billion have been set aside to make the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency fully functional.

She said the Safe Cities Project is being initiated in 19 districts at a cost of Rs5.6bn. “An Allocation of Rs40bn has been made for the construction of schools,” she maintained.

She also spoke of the government’s focus on special education saying that Rs5bn have been earmarked for this purpose. She said Rs12bn have been specified for scholarships.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said the government has also set a target of distributing 100,000 laptops every year. For the current year, Rs27bn have been earmarked.

The senior minister said in various districts, the Model Agri-Mall Scheme has been launched with an initial investment of Rs1.1bn. “Rs85bn have also been allocated for the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar project. She informed that 1,100 electric buses will be introduced this year to modernise the transport system. She said through the Kissan Card Scheme, over one million farmers have received interest-free loans to the tune of Rs106bn.

To a question, Ms Aurangzeb said free dialysis facilities have been provided to 20,000 patients across Punjab. She informed that under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, 4,300 children have successfully undergone surgeries.

She said the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology is being established in Sargodha.

She said under the ‘Suthra Punjab’ initiative, efforts are underway to ensure cleanliness and sanitation across the province.

Earlier, Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman said Punjab presented another tax-free and people-centric budget.

He said the scope of Punjab Revenue Authority would be expanded to other districts in a bid to increase tax collection.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2025