Punjab govt’s performance unprecedented in history: Marriyum Aurangzeb

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2026) Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz presented its third budget and over the past two and a half years, performance of the present government in Punjab is unprecedented in history.

She stated this while addressing a post budget press conference here at 90 Shahra Quaid-i-Azam on Wednesday, while Punjab Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman and Provincial Information Minister Azma Bokhari also accompanied her. Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) and senior government officers were also present.

Senior Minister added that Punjab government has since its inception been successfully continuing its journey of public service, while under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan has achieved economic stability as well as significant achievements on the diplomatic front. With the efforts of the Prime Minister, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Pakistan is playing a positive role in global peace, regional stability and the diplomatic field.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said that budget for the financial year 2026-27 manifests the vision of public welfare, economic development and sustainable stability. The Punjab government did not allow the development process to be affected despite difficult economic conditions, devastating floods and limited resources.

She mentioned that total outlay of the provincial budget is Rs 5903.46 billion, while Rs 752 billion has been allocated under Annual Development Plan (ADP), clarifying that no cut has been made in the budget of health, education and social sectors. A budget of Rs 783.62 billion has been allocated for service delivery, which is 15 percent more than the previous fiscal year. The Punjab government, she said, ensured better use of resources through reduction in its expenses, right sizing of departments and financial discipline. She cited that 12,683 inactive schemes were terminated, while the provincial revenue increased from Rs 426 billion to Rs 820 billion during the last two and a half years. Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) has collected Rs 519 billion revenue in the current fiscal year ending on June 30.

Marriyum Aurangzeb elaborated that the Punjab government has given top special priority to the industry, agriculture and livestock sectors. Soft loans worth Rs 300 billion will be provided at an interest rate of five percent for the promotion of industries, while loans will be given on easy terms for the promotion of business activities under the Land Lease Policy. Rs 10 billion has been allocated for Kisan Card Phase II, while billions of rupees worth of loans and 31,000 tractors have been provided to farmers in the last two years under the Kisan Dost Programme.

She said that modern model fish markets will be established at a cost of Rs 9.66 billion for the promotion of aquaculture and fisheries, while for the first time, practical steps are being taken in the shrimp farming sector and shrimp farms are being established on 5,500 acres.

Marriyam Aurangzeb said that under the vision of uniform development across Punjab, development projects are underway in all districts and the impression that work is being done only in Lahore is not correct. She said, Rs 38.86 billion has been allocated for the development of slum areas, law and order, and provision of basic facilities. Similarly, substantial funds have also been allocated for skill development and entrepreneurship programmes, while Rs 22 billion has been allocated for the Chief Minister Honhar Scholarship Programme.

Mentioning the revolutionary measures in the transport sector, she said that 2,000 eco-friendly electric buses will be added at a cost of Rs 168 billion, while modern bus depots will be constructed at divisional and tehsil levels across the province at a cost of Rs 164 billion. At present, more than 600 modern buses are providing travel facilities to the people in different cities. She said that the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” programme is successfully ongoing and so far loans have been provided to more than 1.2 million people, while a target of constructing 100,000 houses every year has been set. More than 160,000 people are performing cleaning duties under the Shathra Punjab programme.

About the progress in the health sector, she said that Nawaz Sharif Medical District Lahore is being established at a cost of Rs 169 billion, Rs 9.3 billion has been allocated for the establishment of 15 cardiac surgery units, while Rs 23.37 billion has been allocated for Children's Hospital Bahawalpur. In addition, work is underway rapidly on the Medical City project and other hospitals.

In the education sector, the Senior Minister said, Rs 15.69 billion has been allocated for the Chief Minister's Laptop Programme, and Rs 7.8 billion has been allocated for the establishment of new colleges. She said that education and health are the top priorities of the Punjab Chief Minister and no compromise has been made on these sectors.

Regarding the elimination of smog, she said that the QR code system has been implemented at brick kilns and steps are being taken to redress smog on scientific grounds.

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A vast network of roads is being constructed to connect rural areas with cities, while a tourism authority has been established to promote tourism. She said that Rs 42 billion has been allocated for the North Potohar Layer Belt, while Rs 20 billion has been earmarked for the Religious Trail Punjab project.

Provincial Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that the province is on the path of development under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister. He said that neither new tax were imposed on the people in the last two years, nor has any additional financial burden placed on the people in the current budget. He said that such an integrated institution is being established where all provincial taxes will be collected under one roof, which will provide great convenience to the people and the business community.

He disclosed that Punjab will establish a unified revenue authority on the model of Federal board of Revenue (FBR) during the next fiscal year, bringing all provincial taxes under a single institutional framework. The province successfully achieved 99 percent of its tax collection target during the outgoing fiscal year, while the revenue target for FY 2026–27 has been increased by 46 present.

Highlighting the government's fiscal performance, he said, Punjab's own-source revenues are expected to witness an increase of 30 to 40 percent, asserting that government has neither imposed any new taxes nor increased the rates of existing taxes over the past two years. Instead, significant improvements in revenue collection have been achieved through eliminating corruption in the tax administration and expanding the provincial tax base.

During the current fiscal year, Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) exceeded its assigned target by collecting 30 percent more revenue, while the Excise and Taxation Department recorded a 12 percent increase in collections. Among the non-tax revenue-generating departments, the Mines and Minerals Department emerged as the leading contributor.

In view of the sustained growth in revenue generation, the PRA’s collection target has been enhanced to Rs. 528 billion for the next fiscal year, while the Excise and Taxation Department has been assigned a target of Rs. 124 billion. Similarly, a target of Rs. 461 billion has been proposed for non-tax departments.

The Punjab Finance Minister said that only a modest revision in certain existing tax rates has been proposed for the upcoming fiscal year in light of prevailing economic circumstances. He explained that one of the key reasons behind this adjustment was Punjab's decision to provide a grant of Rs. 546 billion to the Federation, which effectively reduced the province's development budget from Rs. 1,240 billion to Rs. 752 billion. He noted that this decision was taken by the Chief Minister in the larger national interest, reaffirming the principle that the strength of the Federation depends upon the strength of its constituent units.

He further clarified that despite the reduction in development resources, the government has made no compromise on the province's development agenda or the provision of public services. The resulting fiscal gap is being addressed through rationalisation of current expenditures and by promoting greater economic activity across the province.

Responding to media queries, the Finance Minister observed that the taxes whose rates have been revised for the upcoming fiscal year had remained unchanged for several decades. He pointed out that the proposed amendments to the Agricultural Tax, which has remained unchanged since 1998, will apply only to landholdings exceeding 12.5 acres.

Mian Mujtaba said that following the successful digitization of revenue collection under the Excise and Taxation Department, the Board of Revenue's collection system will also be shifted online. The property tax regime is being fully digitized to eliminate corruption and improve efficiency. Simultaneously, with the expansion of PRA's mandate, its human resource capacity is also being strengthened. He said these reforms are aimed at enhancing governance, increasing institutional efficiency, and ensuring transparency across the provincial revenue system.

He said, the Punjab government's achievements in tax reforms and revenue mobilization over the past two years had surpassed the performance of previous decade, placing Punjab ahead of the Federation and other provinces.

Responding to reporters’ queries, Marriyum Aurangzeb said that during the last two and a half years, employment opportunities had been provided to 250,000 individuals, and a modern monitoring system has been introduced for the protection of forests and wildlife, adding that present government will also conduct the local elections. She said, the strength of federation guarantees the strength of all units. In the provincial budget 2026-27, she concluded, the rights and development of the people have been placed on priority.