LAHORE: The Punjab government has set human development trajectory and the next budget will be built on that by investing in clean drinking water, health and education, says provincial minister for finance Hashim Jawan Bakhat.

Winding up budget speech in the Punjab Assembly here on Wednesday, which concluded without opposition taking any part, he said the government would shortly introduce third tier ofgovernance -localbodies that would be true and most effective source of development in the province.

Responding to calls from the members from the South, he said the PakistanTehreek-i-Insaf government did not believe in one part taking priority over the other but equal development for the entire province: the whole Punjab would develop under the [PTI] government. `That pains the government when it sees the country falling on 150th position on the Human Development Index on the world listing.

This index was given by Pakistan (by Dr Mahboobul Haq in the 1960s) but the country could not be able to benefit itself. He said the government saved Rs90 billion and diverted them to development.

`It is good to see members demanding health, education and clean water for their areas rather than some individual benefits.

The government stays committed to these areas and the next budget would only take this journey forward,` he said.

Earlier, the House started almost 135 minutes late [1.15pm] than the announced time of 11am, and six new members all belonging to the PML-N Sardar Awais Leghari, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nasir Mahmood, SuhailShaukat, Jaffar Ali and Sailful Maluk Khokhar took oath in a rather quiet manner: there was neither traditional thumping of desks to welcome new members nor any kind words for them. They took oath, signed their membership register and left as the opposition had boycotted the session.

Later, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat sought approval of the House to name a 12-member committee to `examine all development projects, which got delayed and experienced cost escalation.

The committee would examine all projects, find out reasons for the cost escalation and fix the responsibility, the minister said.

In the absence of opposition in the House, the approval was more of a formality, which was quickly granted.

Though the House did not meet the quorum, it escaped the `danger` as the opposition, which was holding its session outside the House with former speaker Rana Iqbal in the chair, was not there to point it out.

Had they sneaked in any time, it could havebeen trouble for the treasury and the attendance ranged between 50 and 85 members till the chief minister graced the House at 2.20pm and the finance minister started his [budget winding upj speech.

The entire budget debate on the day was reduced to a critique of the former rulers and acclamation of current ones. The speaker after speaker eulogised the vision of Imran Khan, sagacity of Speaker Chaudhry Parvaiz and criticized the economic mismanagement of the Shahbaz Sharif government, prompting someone in the press gallery to say: `It is fourth vision in the last 15 years being praised like anything: first it was Gen Pervez Musharraf, then Pervaiz Elahi, then Shahbaz Sharif and now Imran Khan. First three were as valid then as is the fourth one today.

However, those praising all of them are, by and large, the same.

The House was adjourned at 2.45pm for Thursday when it would meet for budget approval.

Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan claims the opposition on theonehandhasbeenboycotting the assembly session for the last one week, but on the other marking attendance in order to get financial benefits.

Talking to the media outside the assembly, he said leader of the opposition Hamza Shahbaz should consider this dichotomy before lecturing PM Imran Khan and SpeakerPervaiz Elahi on morality.

He (Hamza) along with his father (Shahbaz) has held members of the House hostage to their politics. Hamza comes to the House only when weather improves in the afternoon. He should instead start coming at 11am when the proceedings start.

It is imperative for the opposition members to attend the proceedings of the committee formed to investigate the Oct 16 hooliganism so that they could know how much guilty they are. He can consult his father for attending the committee meeting.

Later Hamza, during his media talk [on the same spot], was asked to comment on remarks of the information minister, he said he would prefer to ignore it because he `cannot stoop to his level.