The Sindh government has earmarked Rs163 billion for law and order in the provincial budget presented by the Sindh chief minister on Friday.
In comparison to the last year’s law and order budget that was Rs143 billion, the budget for law and order has been increased by 14 per cent. “I am truly humbled to present the budget in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh for the 12th time. Today, I am laying a record balanced budget of rupees three trillion fifty six billion for the fiscal year 2024-25 in front of the representatives of the people of Sindh,” said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the finance portfolio, as he unveiled the budget on the provincial assembly’s floor on Friday. He said the budget of the police department had been proposed to be Rs163.9 billion.
He informed the House that for the coming fiscal year, his government had allocated Rs3.74 billion for 485 police stations to strengthen the police department at the police station level.
He added that as many as 1,300 new cameras would be installed in the Red Zone Airport Corridor of the Karachi Safe City Phase-I project and funds had been allocated for that in the budget. The CM explained that Rs1.1 billion had been allocated for the Safe City project in the budget.
Under the Sindh Police Video Surveillance System, 10,000 CCTV cameras would be installed at 2,000 new locations in Karachi, Shah said, adding that Rs1.634 million had been allocated for the purpose.
The Sindh government would purchase weapons worth Rs1.8 billion for the police in the next financial year, Shah said, adding that a special equipment worth Rs200 million would be purchased to control mobs.
Meanwhile, Rs4.96 billion was allocated for health insurance of the police force. Rs230 million for encouraging the police to perform their duties and Rs100 million for the DNA test facilities at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) and Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro.
Jails
The CM stated that Rs212.5 million had been allocated for the procurement of plant and machinery, hardware, software, arms and ammunition, etc. to enhance the jail security.
Considering the rise in inflation and increase in prices of commodities and rates per head, the government had decided to increase the yearly allocation under feeding diet charges to Rs2.74 billion for the prisoners in Sindh, Shah stated.
Law department
The Sindh Assembly was told that Rs97.763 million had been allocated for newly established advocate general and prosecutor general offices in Mirpurkhas and district public prosecutor office Sujawal to enable the population of central regions of Sindh to have an easy approach to the higher courts.
Last budget
In the last budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, the Sindh government had allocated Rs143 billion for law and order after an increase of 15 per cent than the previous year’s amount of Rs124 billion.
The CM had announced in the last year’s budget speech the establishment of a new unit, Crowd Management Unit, in the Sindh police. He had stated that in order to provide speedy and inexpensive administrative justice to the people at their doorstep and due to increased population and expansion of Karachi, three new regional offices of the Provincial Ombudsman would be established in Keamari, Korangi and Sanghar districts.
Shah had stated that the enhanced budget allocations for the home department reflected the Sindh government’s commitment to ensuring peace and security in the province.