RAWALPINDI, Jan 24: The Punjab Minister for Finance, Planning and Development, Tanvir Ashraf Kaira on Saturday announced that the Punjab government would start Rs3 billion Barani areas development project in July this year.

Chairing a meeting in Rawalpindi on Saturday, the Punjab Finance Minister said that the project would be implemented by the Agency for the Barani Areas Development (Abad) which has been asked to draw schemes keeping in view the development needs of local Barani areas.

Forestry would be encouraged wherever feasible while small dams would be constructed in areas in all the potential areas.

Similarly, livestock and agricultural development would form part of the mega project in order to provide maximum benefits to the people living in Barani areas.

He directed District Coordination Officers (DCOs) and other authorities concerned to take measures for the release of funds without any delay for schemes initiated by the community through Union Councils in the Barani districts of the province.

Procedures in this respect should be made more easy and smooth in order to avoid delays in the implementation and completion of development schemes, he said.

Mr Tanvir Ashraf Kaira further directed Abad Chief Furqan Bahadur Ali Khan to hold meeting with Finance Secretary for ensuring early release of funds for the ongoing schemes being implemented in the Barani areas of Punjab.

The Project Director of Sustainable Livelihoods in Barani Areas project (SLBP) Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah while briefing the meeting on the project stated that an amount of Rs3,516 million was being implemented under the project in ten districts of Punjab including Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Mianwali, Khushab, Layyah, Bhakhar and Chakwal.

Hundreds of schemes were being implemented for the promotion of forestry, livestock, development of small dams, lining of water channels, provision of drinking water, construction of water ponds, farm-to-market roads, barani agriculture, control of soil erosion, seed banks, fisheries and increasing crops yield, he said.

The Project Director of Village Development Programme in Barani Areas (VDPB), Amjad Ali Toor while briefing the Punjab Finance Minister said that the project was being implemented in six tehsils of Barani areas including Attock, Jand, Pindigheb, Talagang, Gujar Khan and Pind Dadan Khan under which infrastructure improvement schemes were being implemented.

The meeting was further informed that a total of 184 schemes under SLBP were being implemented in the districts of Barani areas and were at advance stages of completion.

MPAs Shabbir Awan, Malik Shan Hakmeen and Malik Khurran Khan and DCO Rawalpindi Imdadullah Bosal also presented their proposals for the development of Barani areas and start of schemes for poverty alleviation.