20-June-2009
Balochistan Government Announces Rs 74.247 Billion Budget 2009-10
The PPP-led Balochistan coalition government on Saturday presented Rs: 74.247 billion tax-free budget with an overall deficit of Rs: 8.332 billion for the Fiscal Year 2009-10. “The budget envisages Development Programme of Rs: 18.536 billion including Rs 5 billion of Foreign Project Assistance FPA and with current budget of Rs: 53.081 billion,” provincial Finance Minister Asim Kurd Gailoo said in his speech while presenting the second annual budget of the coalition government in Balochistan Assembly here on Saturday. “Keeping in view burden of common man, our next budget is tax-free,” the Finance Minister said, adding that total estimated receipts are Rs 59.054 billion out of which Rs: 3.645 billion as the province’s own income including Rs: 1.132 billion as tax while Rs: 2.512 non-tax receipts, and Rs: 55.408 billion as Federal transfers including Rs: 13.975 billion subvention/grants and Rs 29.204 as share in tax. The deficit in the budget is amounting to Rs 8.332 billion. The Finance Minister said that the deficit amounting to Rs 8.832 billion would be met from promised grants of Rs 3 billion by the Federal Government set for budgetary support, Rs 3 billion set for Public Representative Programme-PRP and remaining deficit of Rs 2.332 billion would be met by enhancing province’s own resources. About relief to Government servants in the coming fiscal year, Asim Kurd Gailu said that he was pleased to announce ad-hoc relief allowance of 15 per cent of serving government servants and 15 per cent increase in pension of retired servants of Balochistan Government from July 1, 2009. Regarding measures which had so far been taken for ending unemployment in Balochistan, he said that thePprovincial Government had created 4 thousand new posts in various departments during the last one year aimed at reducing unemployment in the province. Referring to financial crunch being faced by the cashed-strapped Balochistan Government, the Finance Minister said that Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani had evolved two pronged strategy for putting the fledgling economy back on track. These included; initiating reconciliation with annoyed (Baloch) Political Forces (for improving law and order) and contacting the Federal Government for conversion of over draft into soft loan. Despite conversion of the over draft into soft loan, Asim Kurd Gailoo said that the government was paying Rs: 350 million per month to State Bank of Pakistan. Later, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani and Adviser on Finance Shaukat Tareen had graciously decided to freeze the over draft for six months up to June, thereafter, it was to be picked up by the Federal Government as result of efforts which had been made by the Provincial Government led by Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, he added. The Provincial Government had put security on high alert during the budget session in and around the Assembly, and the Assembly Secretariat had banned issuance of visitor passes and issued passes only to journalists affixed their pictures for the first time in the history of the Assembly. A large number Police, ATF and other law enforcement agencies were deployed around the Assembly building during the Budget Session.