Post-budget meet: FM assures jobs by promoting tourism

Najib Naqi says budget to lay foundation for change in AJK

MUZAFFARABAD: Finance Minister Dr Muhammad Najib Naqi said on Tuesday that 2018-19 budget presented by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government would lay foundation for changing the fate of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Addressing a post-budget press conference at Media Centre of AJK Public Relations Department, Naqi said that AJK government had achieved financial independence “which is a quantum leap towards progress and prosperity of the liberated area”.

The minister said the government intended to promote tourism industry by developing basic infrastructure in Azad Kashmir “which is the basic reason to allocate huge amount for construction of new roads and maintenance of the existing ones”.



“Tourism is a sector that could completely eradicate poverty in Azad Kashmir by providing jobs to a majority of the population and boosting the tourism-related businesses,” he said.

Naqi said that Rs130 million had been allocated for provision of health and education facilities to the people living along the Line of Control. He said the affected LoC population would also be provided ambulance services, water and other facilities.

The AJK government had evolved a comprehensive policy to address unemployment in the state, he said, adding that the government would provide interest-free loans to the educated youth in collaboration with Akhuwat Foundation AJK, TEVTA, Agriculture and Livestock Departments.

He said that Rs82.7 billion had been allocated for the recurrent expenditure while 25.5 billion for developmental expenditure. “There is a 14.6 per cent increase in the budget for the next fiscal year as compared to the budget of the outgoing year,” he added.

The minister said there would be a 10 per cent increase in the salaries of government employees, besides a 50 per cent increase in their house rent. He added that after amendment to the financial arrangements 1992, the AJK would get 3.64 per cent share in the federal taxes instead of 2.27 per cent.



“The AJK government is spending an additional amount Rs1 billion on the salaries of around 4,000 lady health workers employed with the Population Welfare Programme,” he said and added that the programme was later suspended by the federal government, but the AJK government continued the programme to improve the service delivery to the AJK people.

“An amount of Rs500 million has been allocated for holding local bodies election next year,” said Naqi, adding that Rs300 million would be given to three medical colleges of AJK as grant in aid, and annual grant to the Muzaffarabad Physical Rehabilitation Centre for treatment of disabled persons would be doubled.