950820

Over Rs 1bn

earmarked for

farm-to-market

roads in Punjab

LAHORE: The Punjab Government is paying special attention to the construction of farm-to-market roads and for this purpose an amount of Rs 105 crore will be spent in the province during the current fiscal year.

This was stated by the Punjab Agriculture Minister, Tariq Bashir Cheema while talking to a delegation of farmers here on Sunday. He said the government was mobilizing all available resources for the welfare of farmers and with the construction of farm-to-market roads not only the agricultural produce would be shifted easily to the markets but the farmers would also be strengthened economically and the trend of rural population shifting to the urban areas would be discouraged.

He said that government was paying special attention to the uplift of Barani areas and the restoration of lands affected by waterlogging and salinity. He said an amount of Rs 185 crores had been earmarked in the current year's budget for the development of barani areas.

Tariq Bashir Cheema said that in Punjab about 60 lakh acres cultivable land was lying barren and the government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to make this fertile land and the Punjab Land Utilization Authority which was dissolved by the former government has been reorganized. He said for the increase in the agricultural production, the research work is also being given full attention so that the improved seeds and technology could be researched to get maximum per acre yield.

He said the fake and adulterated fertilizers and pesticides had done a great loss to the agricultural produce and to combat this menace on the recommendation of the Punjab Government, the federal government imposed a law for the punishment of people involved in this crime and they would be punished upto seven years regorous imprisonment and Rs 10 lakh fine. He assured the farmers that nobody would be spared involved in this nefarious crime and if any official of the department was found involved in this crime, he would also be punished accordingly.