- CM complains of low share for Sindh in new PSDP
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced on Wednesday that in the next budget, 2018-19, funds for development and non-development would be allocated for the whole financial year but the authentication for utilisation would be made only for four months.
He made the remarks while talking to media at a local hotel where he inaugurated China-Pakistan Skilled and Technical Education International Conference. The conference was organised by Sindh Board of Technical Education in collaboration with other partners.
He said that there were two parts of the budget. The first part is supplementary which deals with the expenditure of the current financial year, he added.
“Normally, the assembly passes the grants and if the amount of the grants exceeds than the approved budget then the sitting government is responsible to get it approved from the assembly before the end of June,” he said and added that his government would hence present a supplementary budget in the assembly.
Talking about the next budget, the chief minister said that there would be allocations for the salary component and other non-development expenditure for 2018-19, but authentication for utilisation of the budget would be made only for four months, that is up to September 2018.
“Similarly, we would allocate budget for the on-going development schemes for the whole financial year, 2018-19, so that they can be completed but again authentication for their utilisation would be made only for four months, up to September 2018,” he said and added this would help the next government to make changes whatever they felt appropriate.
Replying to a question about his and two other chief minister’s walkout from the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, Murad Ali Shah said that the composition of NEC is very simple. He said, “It has 13 members, including four chief ministers and their four nominees come to eight and the prime minister who heads the NEC and his four nominees come to 13,” and added the NEC is constitutional body and is bound to advise to the provincial and the federal government for a balanced development based on regional equity.
He said that the federal government which wanted to approve the new Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) had played a game with smaller provinces, particularly with Sindh. The National Highway Authority had been given Rs 15 billion schemes for 2018-19 but Sindh was given only a share worth Rs 4 billion share, meaning 2 per cent. Elaborating the figures allotted to the sectors, schemes and provinces, CM Murad said, “Water and Irrigation Sector had been given Rs27.5 billion in which Sindh had Rs 300 million share or 1.1 percent, Higher Education Commission had 22 new schemes of Rs 6 billion in which Sindh was given only Rs 250 million and similarly, power sector had been given new schemes worth Rs 6 billion in which Sindh was given only Rs 125 million village electrification schemes.”
“This shows that they had a plan to deprive smaller provinces in which no balance and equitable share was kept in mind while framing the new PSDP,” he said and added this was why he along with two other chief ministers walked out from the meeting.
Earlier, the chief minister, addressing the China-Pakistan Skilled and Technical Education International Conference, said that it would help different technical institutes of the province to work with the leading Chinese institutes as their partners or in their affiliates.