When numbers don’t speak
The Punjab budget can at times be even more imaginative than the federal budget when it comes to allocating numbers and generating headlines; it’s just that the implementation leaves a little to be desired more often than not. Surely Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha knows well that the 18th amendment mandated provinces to raise revenue. And since all provinces including Punjab have struggled in this regard – just like the centre – it was hoped that the doctor’s subtle touch, and extensive education and experience, would finally help bridge the revenue gap.
On the whole, only one or two things stood out from an otherwise typical PML-N budget. They have decided to take security far more seriously than normal, for example. Perhaps talk of an impending Punjab Operation, on the lines of the Rangers business in Karachi, finally got Khadim-e-Aala to divert some much needed numbers to security, law and order, etc. Punjab Police, therefore, has been given an unprecedented 48pc increase over the previous budget. Hopefully some mechanism will also be put in place to check that the Punjab Police does not do with additional funds what it more or less always does – make them disappear. Otherwise the Rs145b to law and order, up from Rs94b last year, will do little for security.
Government servants, typically, have reason to be happy because of the 10pc increase in salaries and pensions. But the 70pc hike in education will definitely be something to write home about provided, once again, that they can ensure the monies are directed to the right places. Allocating Rs73.3b to education, primarily primary education, is very welcome. But, as the government surely knows, swelling heads with heavy numbers at budget time is only one very small part of the process. The rest includes ensuring transparency and implementation, and also not diverting towards other areas, like mega projects, half way through the fiscal. Little else about the budget document was out of the ordinary.
