Punjab approves Rs50m for every village in Khushhal Dehat Programme — 475 villages in phase one

LAHORE: Punjab’s villages are in line for a major upgrade. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Saturday gave in-principle approval to spend Rs50 million on the development of every village in the province, under the Chief Minister’s Punjab Khushhal Dehat Programme — the “Prosperous Village” scheme aimed at bringing city-level facilities to rural Punjab.

What happens in phase one?
The first phase will cover 475 villages. Every street in every village will be paved, and a formal sewerage system will be put in place — two long-standing complaints of village residents. The work will be carried out under the supervision of Khushhal Dehat Committees, each headed by the area’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (Social Services), with five government officials and four private members, alongside union council chairmen and sub-engineers. The provincial government has allocated Rs23.85 billion for the programme, and the chief minister has directed that the first instalment be released to the committees in November.

Phase two and the chief minister’s message
Maryam Nawaz has also sought a development plan for the programme’s second phase, which will cover 2,000 villages. She said she was determined to ensure paved streets and proper sewerage in every village of Punjab. “Whether a village or a city, development in Punjab will now be uniform,” she said, adding that everyone was included in the journey of development and no political affiliation would be allowed to create hurdles — development schemes and the resolution of local problems were the right of every area in Punjab.