Punjab powers ahead with ambitious welfare push

Punjab has accelerated a range of public welfare, healthcare, transport, environmental and social protection programmes since Maryam Nawaz Sharif became the province’s first woman chief minister in February 2024.

One of the government’s flagship initiatives is the Suthra Punjab programme, a province-wide waste management and sanitation project operating across 36 districts. The programme uses digital monitoring, vehicle tracking, a public complaints system and a dedicated helpline to improve waste collection and disposal. Government officials say about 184,000 sanitation workers are involved in the programme, which serves an estimated 138 million people.

The provincial government is also building the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore’s Valencia Town. The state-of-the-art facility, being developed by the Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab, is nearly 85 per cent complete, according to officials. With a planned capacity of 915 beds and an estimated cost of more than Rs75 billion, it is being presented as Punjab’s first dedicated public-sector cancer care hospital and one of Pakistan’s largest such facilities.

The hospital is expected to provide treatment to deserving patients, including those requiring advanced cancer care. Its planned facilities include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, emergency services, oncology departments and research facilities.

The government has also introduced welfare programmes aimed at vulnerable groups. Under the Imam Masjid Honorarium Card scheme, imams across Punjab are to receive a monthly honorarium of Rs25,000. The Rehmat Card programme has been designed to provide financial assistance to widows and orphaned children through digital payment mechanisms.

Housing remains another major focus. Under the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme, eligible low-income families can apply for interest-free loans to build homes. The government has also announced a scheme to provide housing plots to deserving families.

Punjab is pursuing several transport projects in Lahore and other major cities, including electric buses, extensions to existing mass-transit routes and proposed systems for Faisalabad and Gujranwala. The province has also launched an e-taxi programme, with a quota for women drivers, subsidised down payments and support for vehicle registration.

Women’s protection centres, hostels for working women and other support facilities are being developed in several cities. The government has also continued laptop distribution, scholarships and financing programmes for small entrepreneurs, as well as high-tech farming initiatives.

In the cultural and tourism sectors, Punjab has moved to revive Basant under safety regulations and has announced plans to restore 170 historical sites, including gurdwaras, churches and other heritage landmarks. Anti-encroachment operations have also been carried out in major cities to clear roads and public spaces.

The government’s performance, however, has drawn criticism. Opposition parties and rights groups have questioned the Punjab Defamation Law, the expansion of police powers and an increase in reported police encounters involving the Crime Control Department. Critics have also raised concerns about audit irregularities, inflation, unemployment and the quality of public services.

The Punjab administration says its reforms are part of a long-term effort to modernise the province. Whether these initiatives produce lasting improvements will depend on transparency, independent oversight and their ability to deliver measurable relief to ordinary citizens.

- The writer is a Lahore-based journalist