Punjab govt presents Rs4.48tr budget for three months

LAHORE: The provincial government presented three-month budget proposals for fiscal year 2023-24 in the Punjab Assembly for approval, with total volume of the budget estimated at Rs4,480.7 billion.

The total income is estimated at Rs3,331.7 billion. The budget documents said Rs2,706.4 billion would be obtained from distributable income of the federation under the NFC Award. Provincial revenue is estimated at Rs625.30 billion, with an increase of 25 per cent compared with the last year, in which Rs240 billion were expected to be collected from the Punjab Revenue Authority with a 26pc increase, Rs99.20 billion from the Board of Revenue with a 4pc increase and Rs45.50 billion from the Excise Department with a 5pc increase.

A spokesman for the government said the non-tax revenue had been estimated at Rs231.80 billion with an increase of 42pc. In the current financial year, Rs513.73 billion were allocated for salaries, Rs392.10 billion for pensions and Rs627.70 billion for local governments.

The development budget for the financial year 2023-24 was estimated at Rs655 billion, while the amount allocated for projects/ programmes/ grants supported by foreign aid was Rs113.2 billion. Thirty-six per cent of the development budget consisted of social sector, 39pc infrastructure, 8pc production sector and 4pc services sector. Similarly, 13pc of development budget has been allocated for various programmes and public welfare initiatives.

The spokesman said that compared with the budget of the last financial year of Rs1,712 billion, the current budget for this year was estimated at Rs2,074 billion. Social security measures were estimated at Rs20 billion, the rate of increase in salaries and pensions of provincial employees was 35pc in the basic pay scale for grades 1 to 16. Whereas, according to the basic pay scale of grades 17 to 22, the salaries had been increased by 30pc and the pension had been increased by 17pc.

The spokesperson said that a provincial database authority would be established with Rs500 million to have accurate data for various sectors. A total of Rs473.62 billion has been earmarked for the health sector. The provincial government will start four programmes for complete overhauling of rural health centres and primary health centres with Rs40 billion so that no citizen was deprived of the right to health. The Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research will be constructed in Lahore with Rs30 billion for which an initial amount of Rs500 million has been kept in the development budget of the last three months of the current financial year. The spokesman said that Rs45 billion have been set aside for public-friendly and poor-promoting health insurance programme in the current financial year. New day-care centres for working women will be established across Punjab with one billion rupees.

The spokesman said that an amount of Rs1.40 billion had been allocated in the development budget for welfare of religious minorities. He said that a total of Rs79.12 billion had been allocated for development of the agriculture sector. The spokesman said that a total amount of Rs25.75 billion had been allocated in the transport sector for travel facilities. He said a journalist endowment fund of one billion rupees would be established so that the media workers could be provided with the best medical treatment as well as support for the families of martyred or deceased media works. Along with this, a big programme of construction and repair of 82 roads and highways is being started with Rs320 billion, through which 2659-km long roads would be repaired.

The spokesman said that Rs5 billion would be spent on project of “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” programme, Rs2 billion would be spent on selected buses and Rs1 billion on the project of electric bikes for smog-free Punjab. Under southern Punjab, a program of Rs2 billion for solid waste management, Rs5 billion for repairing streets and sewers, and a project of ‘CM Plant for Pakistan’ would be started with Rs1 billion.

The spokesman said the Nawaz Sharif IT City in Lahore would be launched with Rs10 billion, the Global IT Certification Programme with Rs1 billion and the Punjab Dastak programme with Rs250. Through the initiative, people would be able to benefit from 43 government services sitting at their homes. The spokesman said the Punjab government had allocated Rs236.37 billion for important social sectors such as education, health, water supply and sanitation, women’s development, sports and youth affairs, population welfare and social security, which was 36pc of the current financial year’s development budget.

The spokesman said that a total of Rs595.8 billion had been set aside for education sector in the current financial year. Out of which, Rs537.40 billion had been kept under non-developmental budget, which was 26pc of the total non-development budget of the current financial year. Rs57.68 billion have been allocated for development budget of the education sector, which is 9pc of the total development budget. Out of the overall development budget allocated for the education sector, Rs44.41 billion earmarked for school education, Rs9.36 billion for higher education, Rs2.99 billion for literacy and non-formal education department, and Rs920 million for special education.

Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja presented the budget. However, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) leader Rana Aftab objected to the budget saying the caretaker government had not power to spend money on projects, and the opposition would not let the budget approved.

The finance minister said no new tax was imposed in the budget. The house proceedings started with two-hour delay. Proceedings of the Punjab Assembly were adjourned till 10am on Thursday.