ADB to expand support for Punjab’s agriculture, health, education and water projects

The Asian Development Bank has agreed to widen its cooperation with Punjab, according to Profit by Pakistan Today, spanning clean water, farming, technical skills, healthcare and education. The understanding came after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met ADB Vice President Ying Ming Yang, as the province looks for backing for several development and infrastructure schemes.

Discussions also looked at possible ADB backing for heart, child and cancer hospitals across the province, along with nursing education and school laboratories. Concessional loans to help farmers buy agricultural machinery were raised as well. Maryam said an additional 2,000 electric buses should be running on Punjab's roads by next year, with ADB help, and that health projects would be completed soon.

Maryam called the Punjab Economic Transformation Plan a game changer for farm development and growth. She said the province is working to expand oilseed, pulse and fruit cultivation while improving farm credit and cold-chain facilities, and described Punjab as Pakistan's food basket and an emerging industrial hub.