Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, while addressing the inauguration ceremony of an electric bus service in Rajanpur, announced the launch of the “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar” project aimed at providing employment opportunities to poor and unemployed citizens.
Under the project, the chief minister announced that 250,000 acres of agricultural land would be allocated to deserving and unemployed individuals, with each beneficiary receiving between three and five acres. She also announced that farmers under the scheme would be issued Kisan Cards to facilitate crop cultivation, enabling them to obtain fertilisers, pesticides and seeds. She further announced the establishment of Centres of Excellence in every tehsil.
The chief minister directed that steps be taken to launch green bus services in all tehsils of Punjab within one year. She said former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had conveyed a special message of affection for the people of Rajanpur, adding that Rajanpur held a close place in his heart.
Rejecting the perception of Rajanpur as Punjab’s last district, she said Punjab began from Rajanpur. She paid tribute to Baloch cultural identity by saluting the Baloch turban, shawl and cap. She said Rajanpur was no longer a backward district of south Punjab and that underdevelopment was coming to an end, with state-of-the-art electric buses now operating in the district, similar to Lahore.
The chief minister said 72 roads were being constructed in Rajanpur at a cost of Rs12 billion. She announced that, like Rajanpur, 2,600 modern and future-ready bus stands were being built across Punjab to provide proper waiting facilities for workers, children and students during heat and rain.
She appreciated the efforts of the provincial transport minister, secretary transport and their team, stating that 500 green buses were already operational in Punjab, 1,100 more would arrive soon, and another 1,500 buses would be introduced within the year.
She said that international-standard transport facilities are no longer limited to Lahore but were now available in Rajanpur as well, adding that claims of neglecting south Punjab had been disproven by the green bus project. She said green buses would operate on every route in Rajanpur, providing doorstep pick-and-drop services. The service has been launched on the 22-kilometre Fazilpur-Rajanpur route and the 18-kilometre Kot Mithan-Rajanpur route.
The chief minister said green buses are equipped with free Wi-Fi, charging ports, separate compartments for women, CCTV cameras to prevent harassment and digital driver monitoring systems to ensure passenger safety. She said all buses were monitored live through a command and control centre.
She announced that green bus travel would be completely free for students, women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities in Rajanpur. Each bus is equipped with wheelchair access and an automatic ramp operated through a button. The electric buses remain air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter, with a standard fare of Rs20.
The chief minister said no road in Rajanpur would remain unpaved in the near future. She announced that cath labs were being established in 20 cities, including Rajanpur, so that cardiac patients would not need to travel to major cities for treatment. She said 170,000 houses would be completed this year under the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” project.
Highlighting welfare initiatives, she said public service is being delivered through schemes including the Himmat Card, Kisan Card, Minority Card and Ration Card, while 1.5 million workers were being provided a monthly stipend of Rs3,000. She said the ration card programme would be expanded to benefit up to 30 million people.
Criticising governance failures elsewhere, the chief minister said a fake government was one that deprived people of their rights, development, peace and happiness. She said citizens deserved access to healthcare, education, employment and transport as a right, not as charity.
Referring to public celebrations, she said as Lahore is celebrating Basant, the entire Punjab shared in the joy because people felt cared for. She emphasised accountability in governance and said negligence and indifference could not be tolerated.
Concluding her address, the chief minister said she prayed for the ability to serve the mothers, sisters and daughters of Punjab and to dedicate all available resources to their welfare.