While reviewing a meeting of metro bus services on Tuesday, he directed the PMA to come up with options of rationalizations of buses, advertisements and other commercial activities at metro buses stations and metro buses to reduce burden of subsidy on the provincial exchequer.
The Minister asked the PMA to come up all type of proposals to increase the revenue stream of the PMA and highlighted the commercial activities under legal framework to engage the private sector in it.
Additional Secretary Finance Ubaid-ur-Rehman briefed the Minister that the Punjab government was subsidizing the metro buses operation, besides other transport sector including Lahore Transport Company (LTC). The government allocated Rs 12.9 billion for PMA for subsidies. Furthermore, the government was subsidizing Lahore and Multan metro routes by 70 percent and feeder routes by 90 percent. He said increase in fare and exploiting new potential for revenue generation stream for transport sector, especially for PMA was unavoidable.
The Minister directed the PMA to submit the expenses of metro buses and beneficiaries of the subsidies, besides closing the buses routes operational along with the metro buses. The buses removes from these routes should be ply on the routes where public was suffering due to non availability of public transport. He said that increase in fares would be decided after looking into the revenue generating options of the PMA.
Earlier, speaking on third Islamic Micro Finance conference organized by Akhuwat Foundation, the Minister said that the PTI was committed to bringing change to the lowest level of the society and this could be achieved through micro financing. He said both federal and provincial governments were promoting the Islamic micro financing for poverty eradication and economic stability.
He said the Punjab government started interest-free loans for agriculture sector in collaboration with Akhuwat Foundation while a number of areas were still missing where potential of micro financing exists. He said the Punjab government will welcome the Islamic micro finance network for poverty eradication program.