- Budget includes Rs 218.174 billion of non-development expenditures while Rs 71.182 billion have been allocated for Annual Development Programme
- Govt employees to get a 10% bump in salary; 3,222 jobs to be created in govt departments; Minimum pay set at Rs 14,000
The Rs 289.356 billion Balochistan Budget 2016-17 with a deficit of Rs 36.485 billion was unveiled in a session of the Balochistan Assembly on Sunday evening.
The new fiscal budget includes Rs 218.174 billion of non-development expenditures and Rs 71.182 billion of Annual Development Programme (ADP).
A 10 per cent increase in the salaries of government employees was announced while the budget also looks to create 3,222 new jobs in government departments for unemployed youth.
The minimum salary has been increased to Rs 14,000 in the province.
The income of the province during new fiscal year 2016 17 will be over Rs 252.871 billion which includes federal receipts from the centre under the National Finance Commission Award, Federal Divisible Pool and on other heads. It will also receive Rs 10 billion from Islamabad under the head of Gas Development Surcharge.
As per details, the receipts from the divisible pool are Rs 182.605 billion; direct transfers, Rs 14.238 billion; others, Rs 10 billion while capital revenue receipts will amount to Rs 36.908 billion. The province will get income from its own resources which are estimated Rs 9.120 billion.
The foreign aid for the province has been estimated at Rs 6.181 billion.
The Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) has an outlay of Rs 71.182 billion including schemes for education, health, law and order, irrigation and agriculture, communication, infrastructure, water and energy sectors.
Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri presented the annual budget of Balochistan for Fiscal Year 2016-17 in the assembly session presided over by Speaker Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani.
The chief minister said during the budget speech that the government is making efforts to bring the province at par with other provinces in terms of development.
The volume of the budget is Rs 289.356 billion with a deficit of Rs 36.485 billion. A sum of Rs 10 billion was allocated for ongoing schemes. The capital expenditures are estimated at Rs 33.413 billion.
EDUCATION AND HEALTH SECTOR ALLOCATIONS:
Allocation for education was increased by 15 per cent when compared to last year’s fiscal budget.
A sum of Rs 28.93 billion has been allocated for the education sector. Funds were suggested for construction of new buildings of schools, provision of necessary facilities to them including drinking water, walls and provision of furniture while funds have also been allocated for up-gradation of schools.
Three medical colleges will be established in Khuzdar, Loralai and Turbat and 70 middle schools were suggested to be upgraded to high school in different areas of the province.
Zehri announced during the budget speech that 14,000 students from Balochistan will be given scholarships in national and international educational institutions.
As many as 725 new schools will be established under the Global Partnership Program, in an effort to increase literacy rate in the country’s largest province.
Health sector will receive a sum of Rs 17.36 billion for development and non-development expenditures. As per the budget, new health centers will be established while already existing hospitals and basic health centers will receive machinery, medicines and other necessary facilities.
An amount of Rs 1.57 billion will be spent for provision of free medicine to the poor and needy patients.
LAW AND ORDER AND OTHER EXPENDITURES:
A sum of Rs 30.25 billion was allocated for law and order, which includes provision of modern weapons and vehicles to police, Levies Force and Balochistan Constabulary while the provincial government will also provide financial assistance to Frontier Corps under these allocations.
A sum of Rs 12 billion was suggested for General Administration expenditures. A sum of Rs 10 billion was earmarked for water supply schemes for provincial capital Quetta while another sum of Rs 5 billion was allocated for beautification and improvement of infrastructure in Quetta.
A sum of Rs 3 billion was allocated for provision of basic civic amenities in five divisional headquarters of the province including the uplift of Gwadar port city.
A sum of Rs 2 billion was suggested for Quetta Mass Transit Train and separately, Rs 1 billion was earmarked for Quetta Green Bus Service project.
Under the Quetta Water Supply Project, Quetta city will get water supply from Pat Feeder Canal which will cost Rs 40 billion. A sum of Rs 10 billion was allocated in the Balochistan Budget 2016 17 for this scheme.
The provincial government has planned to distribute laptops among students of educational institutions and it suggested a sum of Rs 500 million for the laptop scheme.
A sum of Rs 5 billion was suggested for development schemes of local councils. Quetta Municipal Corporation will get Rs 500 million grant.
A sum of over Rs 3 billion was allocated for the livestock sector. The agriculture sector will receive Rs 7.40 billion.
This was the fourth budget of the coalition government of Balochistan and the first one of Nawab Zehri’s government.
Earlier, the budget was scheduled to be announced on Saturday afternoon. Official sources said that the date had been changed because of some changes in the budget proposals.
