Quetta: Balochistan government introduced the deficit budget for in next fiscal year on Tuesday with a total expenses of 612.79 billion rupees.
With the province’s revenues estimated at 540 billion rupees, the deficit will be 72.8 billion rupees, or about 12%. of expenses. budget deposits 5.7% and 3.7% higher appropriations for not-development as well as development heads, respectively, compared to original estimates for outgoing fiscal year.
in budget for outgoing year provincial government pointed to a deficit of 84.7 billion rupees in its estimated resources and expenditures, which are projected to reduce the provincial contribution originally allocated to development planned from Rs 172.5 billion to Rs 91.8 billion by the end of in year on 30 June.
Thus, it can be safely assumed that failure take in enough resources to make up for the projected shortfall, the province is likely to up cutting this is development stimulus by a huge margin next year also.
Balochistan Finance Minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran presented budget without facing any cries of the opposition, who listened budget speak softly and also flipped tables on various cases together with Treasury benches during budget speech.
budget for fiscal year 2022-23 were to be presented before the provincial assembly on Monday, but postponed at the eleventh hour, when the treasury and the opposition bench could not agree on the size of provincial development program. budget sessionPlanned for 16:00 on Tuesday, delayed for more than three hours.
Huge bundles of budget documents were provided to the IPA without budget speech and book PSDP. Some members indicated out that they didn’t get a copy of the documents, on what finance minister informed them that both documents were in press.
In his budget speech, finance minister Khetran said government during current fiscal year issued 92 billion rupees for development projects complete ongoing and new scheme.
new budget allocates 26.62 billion rupees of non-development funds for health sector, while 12 billion rupees will be spent on development. In addition, 1.5 billion rubles were allocated. for in pension as well as support fund, allocated 6.6 billion rubles. for provision of medicines in all hospitals of province and 524 new posts will be created in health sector.
He announced what government decided to raise wages of in government employees by 15% on them basic salaries as of 2017, in addition to increasing pension 15 pcs.
As for education, 103 new elementary schools will be opened, and 60 high and middle schools will be converted into higher secondary schools and 831 new messages of teachers will be created.
Published in Dawn, June 22, 2022
.
