Sindh PA passes Rs1.4t budget amid protest

The Sindh Assembly on Friday passed a Rs1.4 trillion budget for the next fiscal year 2021-22 and Rs95.34 billion supplementary budget for the current fiscal year, amid the opposition’s protest.

It was a rare occurrence in the provincial assembly when neither the opposition moved any cut motion to reduce non-development expenditure, nor the leader of the opposition or the chief minister, who happens to be the leader of the House, spoke during the session. This all was done owing to protests and walkouts and sit-ins by opposition parties in the session.

Normally, speaker fixes a week for the debate on budget asking very party in assembly to nominate their members to speak on it. After members, the parliamentary leaders of the respective parties deliver their speeches too. Then Leader of the Opposition takes floor before chief minister who winds up the debate. After that the opposition or treasury members move cut motions to slash unnecessary expenditure from non-development portfolios. Later, fiance minister present grants in the house and budget is passed.

Terming it anti-people and an anti-poor budget, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers said it had also ignored Karachi and other urban cities in terms of development schemes.

“Earlier, I held meetings with the opposition to avoid protest and focus on [the] budget. We also gave an opportunity to the opposition members for moving cut motions, but no one seemed interested. Not a single cut motion is received by my office,” said Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani while presiding over the session this morning.

“Similarly, I gave the floor to the Leader of the Opposition to speak on the budget. But he opted for protest. In this situation, we have no other option but to go ahead and pass the budget,” Durrani said while addressing to lawmakers.

The speaker then asked Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah to present the total grants for the next financial year to pass the budget.

As the chief minister stood up, the joint opposition started their protest. Amid the noisy session, Murad, who also holds the portfolio of finance minister, presented the total grants of Rs1.4 trillion for the financial year, announcing a 20% increase in the salaries of government employees, while setting the minimum wage in the province to Rs25,000. Separately, chief minister also moved more than 70 supplementary grants of Rs95.34 billion for the outgoing year.

According to the budget books, the total outlay Rs1.4 trillion for the next financial year is 19 per cent higher than the budget-2020-21. This includes Rs1,089.372 billion for Current Revenue Expenditure 12% higher than the budget 2020-21, including Pro-Poor Social Protection and Economic Sustainability Package of Rs30.9 billion; Rs59.498 billion for Current Capital Expenditure with an increase of 51% of current financial year budget and Rs329.033 billion for Development Expenditure for the financial year 2021-22 which is 41% higher than the budget 2020-21.

Despite the protest, the budget was passed with majority votes. Overall, there is a deficit of Rs25.735 billion in next financial year budget.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the assembly as joint opposition members were chanting slogans when CM was presenting the grants.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2021.