BAHAWALPUR, Oct 5: The Punjab government will provide a Rs40 million grant to the parliamentarians (MPAs) for their recommended uplift projects in their constituencies.

This was stated by Punjab Agriculture Secretary Javed Iqbal Awan who is currently working as the regional coordination officer (Bahawalpur region).

Speaking at a joint meeting of MPAs and the officials of various nation-building departments of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan, the RCO directed the parliamentarians to submit by Oct 15 their recommended development schemes (of their areas) to the District Steering Committee, Bahawalpur.

The committee, he said, would execute the work on these schemes. He said more than Rs42 million had been earmarked for roads, water supply and sanitation, education and health projects for the three districts.

He asked the committee chairman, MPA Mumtaz Ahmad Jajja, to ensure early execution of the schemes. Mumtaz Jajja pointed out that most of the government primary schools in Cholistan were without teachers.

As for the shortage of fertilisers, the agriculture secretary said the government could send trucks of fertilisers directly from factories to the farmers if they submitted a joint application.

DCO Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmad informed the meeting that construction of an overhead bridge near the Multan level crossing and the underpass near Rohi cinema would begin soon.