Balochistan announces Rs 179.931 billion budget
12 June, 2012
QUETTA: The PPP-led coalition government in Balochistan presented its fifth and last budget to the tune of Rs 179.931 billion, including the development outlay of Rs 35.819 billion and foreign assistance of Rs 2.612 billion, in the provincial assembly session on Monday.
Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Asim Kurd Gaillu presented the budget in the assembly with Speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani in the chair.
The total receipts for the next year's budget have been estimated at Rs 179.931 billion, including Rs 149.144 billion of revenue receipts and Rs 30.787 billion for capital receipts.
The total revenue receipts are Rs 149.144 billion, including Rs 114.206 billion from divisible pool, Rs 12.785 billion from straight transfer and Rs 4.075 billion from services on general sales tax.
Balochistan will receive Rs 12 billion during the next fiscal year under the head of arrears of gas revenues.
These include Rs 2 billion as arrears on wellhead price on gas and Rs 10 billion as Gas Development Surcharge (GDS). However, the province's own resources (receipts) have been estimated at Rs 5.207 billion as compared to last year's Rs 4.851 billion.
The total revenue expenditure for the next fiscal year has been estimated at Rs 107.280 billion and Rs 36.832 billion as capital expenditure. The highest allocation of revenue expenditure of Rs 22.471 billion has been made for education affairs and services, while economic affairs will get Rs 22.930 billion.
Moreover, Rs 21.606 billion have been earmarked for general public services while Rs 13.530 for public order safety affairs. The province has allocated Rs 9.851 billion for health affairs and services, Rs 3.341 for recreation, culture and religion affairs, Rs 8.750 billion for housing and community amenities, Rs 1.162 billion for social protection and Rs 3.341 billion for debt servicing (interest).
The government has earmarked Rs 36.832 billion for capital expenditure, including Rs 17.408 billion for public debt (to be discharged), Rs 6.675 billion for state trading and Rs 3.808 billion for repayment of central loans (principal).
The capital expenditure will also include Rs 8.5 billion for investment in Reko Diq Copper-Gold Project and Rs 3.5 billion for the energy sector.
The government has also allocated Rs 35.819 billion for Provincial Social Sector Programme (PSDP), as compared to last year's Rs 31.368 billion.
The government has announced a 20 percent increase in salaries of government employees and 6,530 new vacancies for next year.
In his budget speech, Asim Gaillu briefly mentioned the next budget and spoke at length about his government's budgetary measures during the 2010-11 fiscal year. He said that the federal government had also promised provision of funds for providing jobs to 15,000 youths of Balochistan. He said that the government had also allocated funds for providing internship to more than 15,000 youths in Balochistan in government departments.
Gaillu said that Rs 13.53 billion had been earmarked in the Balochistan budget for maintenance of law and order. "Rs 9 billion have been allocated in the new budget for the health sector and Rs 22.47 billion for education sector," he said, adding that Rs 2 billion had been earmarked for development projects of education sector, while 150 new schools would be built next year.
He revealed that funds had been allocated for implementation of solar home system, which would cost Rs 888 million, adding that such projects would also meet the province's energy requirement and help resolve the problem of pollution.
He said that Rs 800 million financial aid provided by the Japanese government would be spent on making the Pasni Fish Harbour operational. The minimum monthly wages had been increased from Rs 7,000 to Rs 9,000, he said.
"The Balochistan government has allocated Rs 3 billion for subsidy on agricultural tube wells in the province, while the federal government would also release Rs 4 billion in this regard."
He said that Rs 5.20 billion has been earmarked for agriculture sector, adding that farmers would be given special financial aid package.
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