The main focus of the Sindh government would be maintenance of law and order and Rs 48 billion has been allocated in the budget in this regard.
This was said by the Finance Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah while addressing a post-budget press conference at the CM’s House on Tuesday.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon was also present on the occasion. He said that there would also be a chunk on the development side for the law and order to equip the police and the law-enforcement agencies. As many as 20,000 people would be recruited in the Police Department and that the number may increase if financial resources are available.
Murad pointed out that the provincial government’s major focus would also be on the energy sector.
He was optimistic that the mining activity in Thar would commence by the end of this year.
The adviser was of the view that the solution to the country’s
energy crisis lies in the Thar coal project and that the government of Sindh would play its full role towards this direction so that Thar coal is utilised for the power generation at the earliest.
He said that in addition to Thar, a sum of Rs 8 billion has been allocated for the energy projects. For the Thar coal the allocation is Rs 12 billion. Murad said, “Our goal in the next five years would be to meet the total power generation requirements of the province of Sindh.”
He announced that there is an allocation of Rs 2 billion in the budget for the revival of sick industry in the province to help create job opportunities especially in the rural areas. The adviser said that on the pattern of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the government of Sindh would initiate its own programme and for this Rs 2 billion have been allocated. The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project of an estimated cost of $2.6 billion would be revived with the Japanese government’s assistance and that this would be the solution to the transportation problems of the metropolis.
Murad pointed out that the total Sindh budget for the fiscal year 2013-14 is to the tune of Rs. 617.2 billion. Of this, the total receipts are of Rs 595 billion with a deficit of Rs 21.6 billion. The adviser said that Rs 409 billion would be made available by the federal government under various heads.
The total of provincial receipts would be to the tune of 120 billion. The revenue expenditure would be Rs 355.9 billion which includes salaries. The current capital expenditure would be Rs 31 billion. The Annual Development Programme (ADP) of Sindh for the fiscal year 2013-14 will be of Rs 185 billion and of this Rs 20 billion would be given to the districts for their small projects.
The total development expenditures would be to the tune of Rs 230 billion. Murad pointed out that Sindh government’s limit for overdraft with the State Bank of Pakistan is of Rs 15 billion and efforts would be to enhance this limit. He said that measures would be taken to curtail the non- development expenditures and that new vehicles would not be purchased until the financial position improves.
