ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has approved all the 128 demands for grants pertaining to different ministries and departments for the next fiscal year.

During the course of proceedings today, the house approved nine demands for grants pertaining to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, National Food Security and Research Division, National Health Services and Pakistan Railways.

Cut motions moved by the opposition on these demands for grants were rejected by the house.

Winding up discussion on cut motions pertaining to his ministry, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussain said that Radio Pakistan will be completely digitalized as part of efforts by the government to strengthen the institutions. He said new programming of Radio Pakistan will be visible in the month of August this year. 

He said PTV will become fully HD in August while APP will be transformed into a digital media news agency on the pattern of AFP and Reuters.

The Information Minister regretted that the previous governments used the state owned media as their spokesperson but we are elevating them as the spokesperson of the State.  He said the Ministry of Information will serve the purpose of promoting the narrative of Pakistan.

Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that all media outlets including 250 domestic and 43 foreign are working independently. He said the government has started the process to provide unprecedented facilitation to the journalist community. He said they have been made part of Kamyaab Jawan and Naya Pakistan Housing Programs.

Winding up discussion on the cut motions pertaining to his ministry, Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam said the present government is giving special emphasis to the uplift of the agriculture sector. He said apart from twelve billion rupees set aside in the budget for the agriculture sector, the finance minister has also agreed to provide another twenty five billion rupees. He was confident that more funds will also be provided to the sector. He said this is a paradigm shift in agriculture.

Syed Fakhar Imam said there has been a record wheat crop of 27.3 million tons this year. He said our total demand is 29.3 million tons and three million ton of wheat will be imported to keep the prices of the commodity stabilized.   He said one of our priorities is to enhance the production of soybean.

Winding up discussion on the cut motions pertaining to her ministry, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Nausheen Hamid said the domestic capacity to manufacture anti covid vaccine will be enhanced to three million doses next month.

She said the world is appreciating Pakistan for effectively tackling the pandemic. She said we have also earmarked 1.1 billion dollars for the procurement of anti covid vaccine. She said ten percent of the total eligible population has been vaccinated against the pandemic.

The Parliamentary Secretary said health reforms are the priority agenda of the government. She said health facilities are being established to provide better health care facilities to the people. She said we have provided health cards to all households in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa whilst the Punjab government is also on course to achieve this target.

Winding up discussion on cut motions regarding Pakistan Railways, Minister of State for Parliamentary affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said several trains are being privatized to take Pakistan Railways towards betterment. This, he said, will accrue benefit of 331.5 million rupees. He said the present government has also approved the ML-1 project envisaging up-gradation of rail infrastructure from Karachi to Peshawar.

The house will now meet tomorrow (Tuesday) at eleven thirty am.