Sindh approves Rs1.47tr budget

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday approved the annual budget for the financial year 2021-22 ending on June 30, 2022. The total outlay of expenditure is Rs1,477.904 billion for the next financial year 2021-22, which is 19 per cent higher than the budget 2020-21. This includes Rs1,089.372 billion for current revenue expenditure i.e. 12 per cent higher than the budget 2020-21 — including pro-poor social protection and economic sustainability package of Rs30.9 billion; Rs59.498 billion for current capital expenditure with an increase of 51 per cent; and Rs329.033 billion for development expenditure for financial year 2021-22, which is 41 per cent higher than the previous budget.

The development expenditure includes Rs222.500 billion (44 per cent higher than financial year 2020-21) for provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP); Rs 30.0 billion (100 per cent higher than previous budget) for district ADP; Rs71.164 billion for foreign project assistance; and Rs5.369 billion for other federal grants.

The Sindh Assembly also passed supplementary budget of Rs95.345 billion for the financial year 2020-21. The total receipts of the province have been estimated to be Rs1,452.168 billion. This includes Rs869.680 billion from federal transfers; Rs329.318 billion from provincial receipts; Rs50.100 billion from current capital receipts; and Rs86.068 billion from other receipts.

Overall, there is a deficit of Rs25.735 billion in the budget 2021-22, which is to be met as per resource envelope and as per revised estimates during the year.