Punjab Minister for Local Government Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa was the chief guest on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion he said that Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is committed for the development and progress of agriculture sector and a number of revolutionary polices are being introduced for ameliorating the plight of small tillers.
He said that subsidy of Rs two billion is being given for providing 10,000 tractors to farmers in the province. He said that the agriculture machinery was also being provided to the farmers of the province on 50 percent reduced prices and subsidy of Rs 550 million had been allocated for the purpose on the special directive of the chief minister Punjab.
Khosa said that long term and short term planning was being devised to boost up the agriculture sector under which agriculture inputs, attractive incentives and other necessary facilities would be provided to the tillers to get the per acre maximum yield of cash crops and to increase the land of cultivation.
He said the Punjab government was endeavouring for the welfare of common man and now entire development strategy and welfare policies are being formulated for the socio-economic progress of the masses, while during the regime of previous government, people were ignored and due to mismanagement and poor planning of policies, miseries of masses had escalated, which resulted in present crises of food, energy and country's economy. He said that the present government was reaping the crops of previous ruler's misdeeds.
The minister congratulated the successful applicants and said that the chief minister Punjab was taking every possible step for the farmers' community despite of financial constraints.
EDO Agriculture Rana Farman Ali Khan while giving briefing, informed that total number of 7,097 applications were received under Punjab Government Green Tractor Scheme in this district and after scrutiny by the Tehsil Committees, 5,944 applicant were found eligible for balloting, out of which 415 applications had been selected through computerised balloting for provision of subsidy of Rs 200,000 to each successful farmer for the purchase of tractor.
He informed that the successful applicants are bound to make booking of tractor of any company within 45 days and should immediately inform the DCO regarding booking for forwarding their cases to the secretary agriculture Punjab who will take further action to release the cheques of subsidy amount. The minister along with DCO Saeed Wahla, local MPAs and party office bearers inaugurated the process of computerised balloting.
MPAs Rana Muhammad Afzal, Chaudhry Raz Nasrullah Ghumman, Chaudhry Shaffique Gujjar, Rao Khashif Raheem, Tahir Khalid Sindhu, Samual Amer Sahotra, Mrs Anjum Safdar, Dr Ghazal Rana, Afshan Farooq, party office bearers (Women Wing) Mrs Munir Alam, Syeda Durr-e-Shahwar, Sara Shafqat, Farzana Jabeen, Razia Joseph, DO (Coord) Syed Mubashar Hussain, DO Agriculture Chaudhry Abdul Hameed and other officers were also present on this occasion.