MULTAN, March 16th: US Consulate Ms.Carmella Conray said that United States wanted to develop Southern Punjab to bring it at par with other developed areas.It was an agricultural zone which produces 80 percent of total cotton production in Pakistan and more than 40 percent wheat.Exchanging views with local politicians at a dinner hosted by Syed Hussain Jehanian Gardezi, former Punjab Minister and a leader of PML-Q, she said that US had given Rs. 7.2 billion ($85 million) in assistance to low-income Pakistani families through the BISP program."The United States is pleased to contribute to the Benazir Income Support Program, which helps low-income families meet their everyday needs," Consulate said at the reception. "The program also provides direct assistance to women, which empowers them economically and encourages them to seek national identity cards crucial for them to access their rights as citizens."Initiated in 2008, the BISP program offsets the impact of inflation in the poorer sections of Pakistani society. Through bi-monthly cash payments of 2,000 rupees, approximately 600,000 eligible families across Pakistan will receive assistance due to USAID's contribution to BISP. BISP seeks to assist approximately 15 percent of the Pakistani population, including 40 percent of those living below the poverty line.Ms.Carmela said that USAID trained legislators and professional staff in strategic planning, presented comparative strategies from other countries around the world, and provided advice on the makeup of a committee to draft the plan.With a three-year Strategic Plan supported and approved by all political parties, the Assembly can visualize its goals and objectives, and assure adequate budgetary and staffing resources are allocated to realize these objectives.She said that southern Punjab was neglected in past and now USAID had focused on this region for its development.Hussain Jehanian Gardezi said that joblessness, poverty, unclean and unhygienic water and atmosphere,water logging and salinity were major problems of southern Punjab.He further said that "Our mission is to become an effective Assembly, protecting the citizens' rights and working for providing them better quality of life,"Syed Zahid Hussain Gardezi President of Mango Growers Association (MGA) said that Multan is a mango city and we have planned to export maximum mango to United States because we have improved its quality besides getting rid of fruit fly. Now we are meeting all the pre-conditions of United States for the supply of Mango.She,upon this, promised to visit Multan during mango season. She was accompanied by Barlo Jessica, and Dragon James.