National Assembly was informed today (Thursday) that thirteen projects worth about eleven billion dollars have been completed under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Development Kanwal Shauzab told the house during question hour that another thirteen CPEC related projects worth eighteen billion dollars are under implementation whilst twenty one billion dollars projects are in the pipeline.

The Parliamentary Secretary said forty- six percent work on Gwadar East Bay expressway has been completed.  She said New Gwadar International Airport is being built with the Chinese grant. She said this will be the largest airport in Pakistan.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan told the house that 124,587 people availed the Assets Declaration Scheme launched by present government last year. He said over sixty two billion rupees were recovered under this scheme.

Ali Muhammad Khan told the house that the federal government has allocated 152 billion rupees during the current fiscal year for the development of tribal districts.

Parliamentary Secretary for Commerce Aliya Hamza Malik told the house that the country’s exports have enhanced by 4.79 percent during the first five months of current fiscal year. She said our trade deficit stands reduced by thirty five percent which is a big success.

Responding to a calling attention noticed moved by Ali Nawaz Awan, Minister for Power Umer Ayub told the house that the tariff structure is being revised of the electricity connections for tube wells meant for community based supply schemes.

He said talks are continuing with the NEPRA in this regard and the revised structure will bring down the power tariff for these tube wells.

The SBP Banking Services Corporation Amendment bill was also laid in the house today (Thursday).

Responding to another calling attention notice, Minister for Power Umer Ayub said three hundred million rupees have been approved for the upgradation of a grid station in Chitral District and electrification of adjoining areas there.

He said the PTI government is determined to the development of Chitral.

Umer Ayub said Pakistan is a peace loving country and Prime Minister Imran Khan has promoted the positive and soft image of Pakistan by opening the Kartarpur corridor.  

He said the Sikh community across the world is recognizing and acknowledging this very positive step of Pakistan.

He said the world on the other hand is criticizing discriminatory steps of Indian government against minorities and demanding withdrawal of its citizenship act.    

Speaking in the National Assembly today (Thursday), Minister for Communications Murad Saeed said the benefits of economic stability achieved by the country in the year 2019 will now be transferred to the masses.

He pointed out that the government has launched Sehat Insaaf Card scheme under which the card holders can get medical treatment up to seven hundred and twenty thousand rupees at the public and private hospitals.

He said the process to distribute 5.7 million Sehat Insaaf cards has been started. 53480 people will be provided with these cards in the federal capital by March this year.

He said the distribution of these cards to all the families in tribal districts will be ensured during the current year.

The Minister said the government has now launched a relief package worth six billion rupees through Utility Stores for provision of essential commodities to the people at reduced rates. 

He said we have started the program of Panagahs to provide shelter to the shelter less people.

The house will now meet tomorrow (Friday) morning at eleven am.

Zahid/Ghauri