Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced that Punjab has become the first province in Pakistan to vaccinate 6.5 million girls against cervical cancer, calling it a “national record” in preventive healthcare.
Chairing a four-hour review meeting, Maryam Nawaz received detailed progress reports from eight major departments and issued several key directives aimed at accelerating development projects across the province.
The chief minister instructed health authorities to fast-track the Cath Lab project and expand data collection efforts, noting that 32,000 households had already been surveyed in a pilot phase. She also directed the Special Education Department to prepare a comprehensive welfare and education plan for people with disabilities.
Commending the Health Department’s response during recent floods, Maryam highlighted that 1.15 million people received treatment in flood-hit areas. Officials reported 174 snakebite cases, all of whom survived after receiving timely anti-venom treatment.
On the transport front, the chief minister ordered that 1,115 electric buses be operational by December, with charging stations to be set up across Punjab. She approved a standardized design for bus stops and finalized the rollout schedule for the electrobus program and the upcoming SRT (Smart Rapid Transit) project.
Discussing water management, Maryam Nawaz praised the expansion of WASA (Water and Sanitation Agency) from 5 to 19 cities within 18 months and set a goal to extend its reach to 25 districts by December. She emphasized speeding up work on 5,000+ water filtration plants and instructed officials to provide bottled water to every household to ease access in remote areas. Housing Minister Bilal Yasin was directed to inspect water filtration plants personally and include them in Deputy Commissioners’ KPIs.
Under the Punjab Development Program, she ordered that work in 15 cities be completed before the upcoming monsoon season. Officials briefed her that the first phase of the Lahore Development Project would conclude by November 30, with over 4,600 streets renovated so far.
Maryam also directed the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) to plant bamboo forests and enhance greenery initiatives across Punjab.
For rural uplift, officials informed her that the Model Village Project has been launched in 472 villages, with the majority located in South Punjab. She also ordered the launch of the Placer Gold Project, ensuring that its profits directly benefit the people of the province.
Additionally, “Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Ration Cards” have been issued to 11,000 miners, with the goal of reaching 25,000 by the end of the month. Officials noted that re-auctioned pink salt contracts have boosted provincial revenue fivefold, with active marketing underway in the US, Europe, and the UAE.
