The Sindh government has presented the budget for the financial year 2021-22 on Tuesday.
The total outlay of the budget is Rs1,477.903 billion with a deficit of Rs25.7 billion, said Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the portfolio of finance, while unveiling the budget in the Sindh Assembly.
Wearing headphones as he gripped a microphone in his hand, the chief minister shouted to drown out the reverberating shouts of opposition lawmakers, who did their utmost to disrupt the chief minister.
He said that the total volume of the budget for next financial year is 19.1 percent more than previous financial year. He announced a 20 percent increase in the salaries of provincial government employees and minimum wages for workers increased from Rs17,500 to Rs25,000. A 10 percent increase in the pensions of retired employees has also been proposed in the budget.
The current expenditure of the province is projected at Rs1.14 trillion, which includes current revenue expenditure of Rs1.089 trillion and current capital expenditure of Rs59.49 billion. “This is 78 percent of total expenditure of the province and shows an increase of 14 percent over estimates of Rs1 trillion for last year,” he said.
Receipts from the federal government on account of revenue assignment, straight transfers and grants are estimated at Rs869.68 billion, which constitute 72.5 percent of total receipts of the province.
Shah said spending on development for the next financial year has been increased by 41.3 percent. He said that an amount of Rs222.5 billion has been earmarked for Annual Development Programme which is 43.5 percent more than the ADP of current financial year while a hundred percent increase has been made in district development programme for next financial year.
He said that the development expenditure of the province is estimated at Rs329.032 billion, which include Rs222.5 billion for Provincial ADP and Rs30 billion for districts ADP, foreign project assistance of Rs71.16 billion and Rs5.4 billion from federal PSDP grant for schemes being executed by the government of Sindh.
CM Murad said that the government has decided to continue the Rs30.90 billion social protection programme for the poor as the economic stability package. He said that the government has increased the budget for the education sector by 14.2 percent with an allocation of Rs277.56 billion, whereas Rs172.08 billion have been earmarked for the health sector which is 29.5 percent higher than current fiscal year.
The government has allocated an amount of Rs24.73 billion for infectious diseases including Covid-19. He announced allocation for the agriculture sector has been increased to Rs15.26 billion from Rs14.8 billion.
An amount of Rs119.97 billion has been allocated for the law and order in the province. An amount of Rs17 billion has been allocated for irrigation and Rs18.57 billion for the social welfare department.
An amount of Rs38.2 billion has been earmarked for the road infrastructure and transport sector and Rs2.5 billion are allocated for the energy sector in the province.
He said that Rs82 billion have been earmarked for local government and Rs500 million for various relief and welfare measures in the next budget. In addition, an amount of Rs207 billion has also been earmarked for the environment, forest and wildlife sector.
CM Murad said that Rs2 billion have been earmarked for purchase of PCR and PPE kits in context with Covid-19 while Rs646.22 million have been proposed for purchase of oxygen in view of pandemic.
He said that an amount of Rs571.975 million has been allocated for the women development department and Rs154 million rupees for minority affairs.
He also said that in the financial year 2021-22, around 1033 schemes have been identified for completion in the first and second quarter and maximum resources will be provided for their timely completion.
Ongoing schemes with remaining throw-forward up to Rs100 million have been fully funded for completion by June 2022. Ongoing schemes where 70 percent expenditure is made have been fully funded for completion by June 2022.
The CM said that the output of the government is directly related to the performance of every individual employee. “All the employees of the provincial government have my gratitude,” he added.
Desperate times for the rebellious Sindh Province to grasp anything for the elections. But they are so corruption stricken that this minimum wage of 25k and other stuff seems un achievable and only by the end of the financial year shall we see what they actually did. Sindh is the final frontier for Imran and Co. to conquer and end the malign reign of Bhuttos till eternity.