Salaries and pensions of employees & pensioners raised on Federal Govt. pattern: Balochistan’s budget for next Financial Year presented with total outlay of Rs. 750 billion

Salaries and pensions of employees & pensioners raised on Federal Govt. pattern:
Balochistan’s budget for next Financial Year
presented with total outlay of Rs. 750 billion

Over Rs. 437 billion allocated for non-development expenditures with Rs. 229 billion allocated for public sector development program; 4,389 new vacancies created in provincial departments;
over Rs. 115 billion allocated for general public services, over Rs. 61 billion for public order & safety affairs, Rs. 42 billion for health sector, Rs. 88 billion for education affairs and services

Independent Report

QUETTA: The Balochistan’s budget for the next financial year 2023-24 was presented in the budget session of the provincial assembly on Monday.
With total volume of Rs. 750.478 billion, the province’s budget shows the estimated deficit of Rs. 49.058 billion.
The Provincial Minister for Finance, Engineer Zamarak Khan Achakzai tabled the budget at the session with the Speaker, Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali in the chair.
It was the second budget of the Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo-led coalition government presented by the finance minister in assembly.
As per the budget documents and the speech delivered by the Finance Minister, raises have been made in the salaries and pensions of provincial government employees and pensioners on the pattern of federal budget.
The 35 percent raise was proposed for the government servants serving in the grades between 1-16 while 30 percent raise was announced for the employees serving above Grade 17.
Similarly, the pension of retired employees was also increased by 17.5 percent as was done in the federal budget.
The minimum wages of the workers were announced as Rs. 32,000 in the next budget of the province.
Moreover, in all 4,389 new vacancies have been created in different provincial government departments during the next financial year budget, the Finance Minister announced.
While delivering the budget speech, the Minister Finance total income of the province through different resources has been estimated as Rs. 701.420 billion in the budget with total expenditures shown as Rs. 750.478 billion thus showing the deficit of Rs. 49.058 billion.
While over Rs. 437.142 billion were allocated for the non-development expenditures, over Rs. 313.336 billion were allocated for development expenditures including Rs. 229.30 billion proposed for Public Sector Development Programme.
The total revenue receipts estimated in the budget are Rs. 645.191 billion. The capital receipts are included Rs. 34.733 billion and state trading – food are Rs. 11.4 billion. Out of the capital receipts, the province would get Rs. 25 billion under the Foreign Project Assistance (loan) and Rs. 9.609 billion would be received from recoveries of the loans, advances and investments.
The province would get Rs. 464.705 billion from the divisible pool while it would get Rs. 20 billion from straight transfers. Similarly, the provincial own receipts have been estimated as Rs. 111.940 billion.
In the budget, as mentioned by the Finance Minister, over Rs. 115 billion have been allocated for general public services, over Rs. 61 billion for public order and safety affairs, over Rs. 53 billion for economic affairs, over Rs. 42 billion for health sector, over Rs. 88 billion for education affairs and services, over Rs. 6 billion for social protection, over Rs. 27 billion for housing and community amenities, over Rs. 492 million for environment protection and over Rs. 3.6 billion for recreational culture and religion.
Moreover, Zamarak Khan Achakzai told the house that the government led by Chief Minister Bizenjo has prepared a historic budget in which deficit is very less as compared to the previous budgets.
He said that despite the financial issues, a historic budget has been presented for the next financial year.
He said that the government took certain steps for well being of all segments of the society.
In addition to this, the record development programme was implemented under leadership of Chief Minister Balochistan, he maintained.
He on the occasion highlighted certain achievements made in different sectors. He said that the province is heading towards the development and prosperity. He also said that the steps taken by the provincial government are being seen on ground.
The Finance Minister said that the unprecedented decisions were made for development and prosperity of the province and its people during last two and half years.
He said that we have taken up the issues of finance with the federal government, and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has already constituted a committee on the matter. He expressed the hope that the recommendations to be made by the committee would be implemented in true letter and spirit.
Mr. Achakzai vowed to continue to serve the masses of the province.