The Fact........Roti beyond reach

Another year has passed leaving behind traces of many successes and failures. In the Punjab, Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi undertook a number of uplift schemes to provide relief to masses, but there is still much room left for the betterment of common man.
In December, the chief minister highlighted the one-year performance of his government and promised to continue focusing the overall

socio-economic development and progress in the province. Presenting an overview of one year of his government at a press briefing, he dilated upon the pace of development projects initiated in various social and economic sectors. "Due to good governance, we have worked in a completely scandal-free atmosphere," he said, adding that the government had initiated reforms in every department to help improve its working and efficiency with an ultimate aim to deliver for the uplift of common man.

He said the government had tried to promote culture of tolerance while distancing itself from the past traditions of vendetta and vengeful politics. He welcomed positive criticism from the opposition and the media, adding that the government would take into consideration all useful suggestions to formulate its people-friendly policies.

Referring to the successful execution of reforms in all fields, he said despite the achievements, the government would never become complacent, and would continue working for the progress of the province. He said the re-introduction of the silver fibre crop in non-traditional cotton growing region had resulted in 58 per cent increase in the cotton producing area, generating new employment opportunities in the rural areas.

The government has introduced flat Abiana rates to minimise the contact of farmers with Patwaris and farmers are being charged in accordance with actual water they use. "Farmers with lands at the tail-end would not be charged in case of unavailability of water," he observed.

The government has planned to line 10,000 watercourses over a period of four years. About 1,000 channels would be brick-lined this year while the remaining would be lined in the next three years. A separate department of agriculture marketing has also been established to disseminate information to farmers regarding the marketing of their produce.

In heath sector, three new medical colleges are being set up in the province, one each in Lahore, Sialkot and Gujranwala, to cater for the healthcare needs of the burgeoning population of the province. Moreover, Rs 1 billion have been released for revamping emergency centres at 11 teaching hospitals of the province. The amount will be utilised for refurbishing facilities and purchasing electro-medical equipment and essential medicines.

The funds would also be spent for 50 per cent increase in the salaries of doctors deputed in the emergency wards. The government has decided to launch a pilot project in Lahore under which state-of-the-art ambulances would be purchased to provide immediate emergency treatment to accident victims.

The Punjab government has allocated a sum of Rs 1 billion for the establishment of the new ambulance service across the province. The health department has recently experimented with the concept of cluster basic health units (BHUs) in Rahimyar Khan district. Under the pilot project, every three BHUs have been put under the supervision of one doctor who receives an increased monthly salary of Rs 30,000.
The government has also set up a cardiology institute in Multan to provide treatment facilities to patients of cardio-vascular diseases in the southern Punjab. The Institute of Preventive Ophthalmology would become operational in the Punjab capital after six months.

In the press briefing, the chief minister painted a rosy picture of the Punjab but there are many other things which must be considered while evaluating his one-year performance. A lot of money has been spent on police and law enforcement agencies but the situation is not all that good in the field. Crime is on the rise.
The chief minister admitted that he had provided all facilities to police with a hope that they would mend their ways, improve working and control crime in a one-month deadline, but they had failed to come up to the expectations. Addressing a mammoth gathering in Bhagtanwala, he said that he would personally monitor the working of police and not tolerate any negligence on their part.

A big failure of the Punjab government is the price of bread (roti) that has increased from Rs 2 to 3 in a decade after the government announced the new support price of wheat. A visibly irritated buyer said 20kg flour was sold for only Rs170 to 175 last year. "During the last 12 months, the government has increased the price by Rs50 per 20kg. The flour price in the market has already touched Rs220 per 20kg and would be going up by another Rs10 once the latest increase takes effect. How on earth a government could squeeze common man and still claim to be people-friendly, he remarked, adding that it would push another few million people down the poverty line and create social chaos.

"The Punjab government is headed by a flour miller who is truly aware of the situation in the sector," said another buyer. "If he is unable to control the price or is politically insensitive to the social and political cost of flour price increase, God save common man," he said.

The food department has increased the wheat price thrice during the last two months. It started releasing wheat on October 10 at the rate of Rs330 per 40kg, which was Rs10 higher than that of last year.

The second revision, which was due on December 1, registered an increase of Rs5 per 40kg. Instead of notifying the increase, the government increased the price by another Rs5 per 40kg. The decision was implemented the same day, triggering fears of further increase in the price which was already higher than ever before.

The chief minister has admitted that all the departments are not working properly. Expressing his dissatisfaction over the working of some departments, he warned the administrative secretaries and departmental heads that they would be removed if they did not improve their performance.

The chief minister has the biggest cabinet in Punjab history, as more than 50 per cent of the ruling party legislators have been made ministers, parliamentary secretaries or chairmen of the standing committees. Punjab Assembly opposition leader Qasim Zia said that the cabinet expansion would only burden the exchequer and not help solve problems of common man. The PPP provincial president said a minister would cost the kitty around Rs400, 000 a month in salary and allowances and as the number of ministers had exceeded 40, their monthly expenditure could be well calculated.

The chief minister has many challenges ahead of him in the next year. He has to control the price of daily-use items and improve law and order so that common man gets relief in his tenure. He should also probe the reasons behind ever-increasing suicides in the province.