By Qasim Ali
LAHORE:The Punjab government is all set to uplift the standard of living in villages and included 485 villages across Punjab under this project and a total of 138 PC-1 documents have been prepared.Under the project, work will be done on infrastructure, sanitation, water supply and other development activities in villages, which will further accelerate efforts to improve the quality of life in rural areas.After a major increase in the cost of Punjab’s Model Village Program, the total cost of the project has reached about Rs 60 billion, which was initially set at Rs 49 billion.According to the authorities, 357 villages have been approved so far, while development contracts have been issued in 302 villages.Furthermore, tender advertisements for projects have also been issued in 55 villages.It should be noted that the scope of the Model Village Program will be expanded to all villages of the province in phases. The meeting chaired by the Minister for Local Government Affairs was also considered on the presentation prepared for the Chief Minister.According to the Minister for Local Government Affairs, a sewage system will be established in every model village and covered drains will be constructed.Upon completion of the program, no street will remain unpaved in any model village. Moreover, filtration plants and street lights will also be installed in the villages.He said that a comprehensive master planning has been done for the villages and the program will bring a new look to rural areas.The Secretary Local Government was also directed to take the help of artificial intelligence in the survey process to ensure the accuracy and transparency of the data.
