Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Sirajul Haq on Tuesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led coalition government was determined to continuing efforts for getting hydro net profit according to the AGN Qazi formula, which was the major source of revenue for the province.
Addressing the post-budget press conference in Peshawar on Tuesday, Haq said, “For getting hydro net profit, we are determined to continue constitutional, legal and political struggle.”
He said, “Even though the 2013-2014 fiscal year budgetary proposals does not project the election agenda, as they were prepared by the previous government, the present government has done its best to still make it people-friendly.”
To a question, KP Finance Secretary Sahibzada Mohammad Saeed confirmed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was facing a deficit of more than Rs 40 billion in the current financial year.
However, he claimed that the situation was under control as a major portion of the allocation for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) could not be utilised. He said the allocation for the ADP in 2012-2013 budget was Rs 97 billion but so far only Rs 48 billion had been utilised.
Saeed said the government would be in a better position to say something about the exact figure by the end of June.
In response to a question, Haq dispelled the impression that the government had ignored issues such as unemployment, poverty and price hike in the budgetary proposals for the coming financial year.
The KP finance minister said the government had made a plan for recruiting around 1,400 people in various government departments during 2013-2014. “Efforts are being made for slashing poverty by 50 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Likewise, maximum emphasis is being made on welfare schemes in health, education and other social sectors.”
To another question, Haq said development funds being consumed in accordance with the proposals of MP’s could be gradually converted to local government bodies. He said until the holding of the local bodies elections, development funds would be given to the members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. However, later the funds could be handed over to the local government bodies, he added.
In fact, Haq said, “corruption, malpractices, misuse of powers and nepotism are major issues and we get rid of such issues, no one can achieve the goals of good governance, economic prosperity and political stability”.
“In this respect,” he said, “the government is determined to framing a comprehensive plan for combating these evils. So far, initiatives have been taken in the Police Force and the Revenue Department”.