LAHORE: Punjab Planning and Development Department (P&DD) on Monday disclosed that during first half of the current financial year 2016-17 an amount of Rs 282 billion under Annual Development Programme (ADP) had been released for implementation of 6,080 development projects across the province. Punjab P&DD spokesman mentioned that Provincial Assembly of Punjab had approved Rs 550 billion for the ADP during financial year 2016-17, which was 38 percent higher than last fiscal year’s ADP. Out of this development budget, according to P&D spokesman, Rs 169 billion had been earmarked for social sector including Rs 42.5 billion for healthcare and Rs 68 billion for education sector, whereas Rs 158 billion for infrastructure development which included roads, irrigation and public buildings, and an amount of Rs 29.2 billion had been allocated for development of agriculture and livestock sector. While giving a break-up of the released funds under current ADP, he said that this included Rs 44.5 billion for education sector, Rs 29.8 billion for healthcare, Rs 24 billion for water supply and sanitation and Rs 3 billion for sports and youth affairs. During the current financial year, unprecedented allocations had been made for development of health, education, agriculture, irrigation and infrastructure development, he added. The spokesman explained that these funds had been released against implementation of schemes all over Punjab without any geographical discrimination, adding that funds against all ongoing development projects of ADP 2016-17 were released during first week of July, 2016 enabling the executing agencies to start development work at all the projects. A number of projects, he said, were being implemented in these areas. Few of the projects included were Multan Metro Bus Project that was being completed at a cost of Rs 30 billion; Expansion of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Muzaffargarh at a cost of Rs.9 billion; Khawaja Fareed Engineering & IT University at Rahim Yar Khan at a cost of Rs 3.8 billion; Cardiac Surgery Block at BV Hospital, Bahawalpur, at a cost of Rs 1.3 billion; Up-gradation of DHQ Hospitals to the level of Teaching Hospital at Sialkot, Sahiwal, Gujranwala and D.G. Khan at a cost of Rs 12 billion; Revamping of all DHQ Hospitals and 15 THQ Hospitals in Punjab at a cost of Rs 5 billion; Khadim-e-Punjab School Programme at a cost of Rs 50 billion and Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Road programme at a cost of Rs 150 billion.