Mardan council: Rs6,622.627m budget presented, approved

Passed by 43 votes amid protest from opposition members

MANSEHRA: Mansehra district council approved Rs15 million salary and non-salary budget for the fiscal year 2015-16 on Monday despite protest from members of the opposition. Councillors from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Peoples Party tore copies of the budget and boycotted the session.

Naib nazim Murtaza Tanoli chaired the session. Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam told the house that  the district received Rs428.586 million from its share of Provincial Finance Commission Award for the year 2015-16. He added according to the government, development projects for education and road sectors would get 20%, water supply and health sector related schemes would get 10% and agriculture and women development schemes would get 5% of the development budget.

Sharing breakdown of the development budget, district nazim said Rs85.717 million for education, Rs85.717 million for roads, Rs42.859 million for health, Rs42.859 million for water supply schemes, Rs21.429 million for agriculture, Rs21.429 million for women development, Rs 21.429 million for sports, culture and youth development and Rs107.147 million would be spent on development schemes recommended by members of the district council.

Moreover, Rs106.94 million was allocated for the offices of district nazim and naib nazim. At least 43 out of 85 members from PML-N, JI, QWP and JUI-F approved the budget without any debate.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2015.