PESHAWAR: Provincial Minister for Agriculture Major (r) Sajjad Barakwal has said that agriculture would be the top priority of the provincial government while special attention would be given to agriculture projects.
He said that the previous budget did not meet public expectations due to a shortage of time, and there was no funding even for the salaries of government employees. The provincial minister said that this year, there is a fund of 169 billion without any new taxes, from which 3 months of salaries can be paid. He said that the people will get huge relief in the upcoming budget. All arrears will be paid before June 30. The provincial government will pay one year in terms of royalty. Addressing a press conference at Karak Press Club, Sajjad Barakwal said that no project of former members in the constituency will be dropped. Moreover, funds for incomplete projects will be released so that they can be completed timely. He further said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has been convinced to pay the arrears for the Kohat division as it is necessary to end prejudice and differences for the sake of differences. The party leadership is on a mission to resolve regional and public issues, and in the current challenging situation, all the leadership should play a positive role. He said that the concerns of the people of Takht Nusrati Headquarters will be addressed. In this regard, the oil and gas royalty has been increased to 10 to 15% while gas royalty would be paid by SNGPL and the federal government from its funds throughout the country. He said that nine billion rupees have been spent from the royalty fund for the gas line in Karak and Kohat, while it was promised to provide gas to every household, but despite spending nine billion, the people of Karak are still forced to protest for gas.
