Balochistan budget: Assembly unanimously approves Rs128b outlay

Balochistan Assembly unanimously approved the budget for the next fiscal year, with an outlay of Rs128.71 billion.

QUETTA:

The Balochistan Assembly unanimously approved the budget for the next fiscal year on Tuesday, with an outlay of Rs128.71 billion.

Speaker Aslam Bhootani presided over the session. The House adopted 50 demands of grants to the tune of Rs128.71 billion. Estimates for development expenditures in the next budget are Rs31.35 billion while Rs97.35 billion have been earmarked for development expenditures.

Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Asim Kurd presented 50 demands for grants in the House which were approved unanimously by lawmakers when the speaker put them up for vote one by one. However, the budget for the next financial year was approved within a span of 40 minutes.

The Balochistan government faces no criticism or difficulties while approving the budget for fiscal years 2011-12 as no opposition member turned up or brought any cut-motion. The Balochistan Assembly has one opposition leader, Yar Mohammad Rind, who did not attend the sessions except on the day he was sworn in.

Soon after the budget was approved, all the members got up and embraced the finance minister for what they considered to be a “good budget”.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2011.