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Baloch calls for financial discipline
By SafiUllah Shahwani
QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik said on Friday that Balochistan was granted the status of province after a long political struggle, but it has still not succeed in taking good care of it.
“Seventy percent people in Balochistan are living below the poverty line. People and animals are drinking water from the same pond in 21st century. For the sake of development of Balochistan, we all would have to stand on a single row,” he appealed. The chief minister expressed these views while addressing the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected members of Balochistan Civil Secretariat Association, on Friday.
He said over two million children in Balochistan are out of school; provision of water to the whole of Quetta city has not been ensured “and we could not provide complete health facilities to our masses”. “We want to impart quality education to our children and provide complete health facilities to the masses,” Baloch said, adding that unless the province controls increase in non-development budget, it would not develop.
Chief Minister Baloch said without proper financial discipline Balochistan would not even be able to provide chalk to schools. “The government servants, politicians and people hailing from all walks of life would have to play their crucial role for the development and progress of Balochistan,” he said, adding that “we would have to bring change in our behaviours for the sake of development of the province”.
He said that he loved Balochistan and its people, adding that corruption-free Balochistan is the guarantee of prosperous and developed province. “Secretariat staff and officers ought to extend full cooperation to the coalition government so that people could smoothly get their works done, and files doe not remain pending more than one day,” he added. Baloch said, “We should realise our responsibilities and perform our duty with commitment and devotion. Now the time has come that we all should contrive unity and utilise our energy for the prosperity and welfare of the people,” he emphasised.
The chief minister said that more than Rs 135 billion are being spent on non-development budget and only Rs 35 billion remains for development. “Through this meager amount, we have to ensure education to our children, cater to the demands of health sector and spend on other sectors.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk