Sindh govt to present Rs1.6tr budget today

With an increase of over Rs100 billion, Sindh government is set to present its budget of approximately Rs1.6 trillion for the next financial year 2022-23 today (Tuesday).

Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah will present the budget in the Sindh Assembly session that is likely to witness uproar by the opposition parties.

According to officials, the outgoing year budget stands at Rs1.5 trillion, however the provincial government has decided to enhance the outlay with adding Rs100 billion more to it. "In the current fiscal year, we have around Rs222 billion development budget, which will be enhanced to Rs250 billion. It means Rs28billion will be added to it," an official of planning and developing department while sharing the details of budget said.

According to initial budget proposals that will be approved by the cabinet today, the government has allocated Rs128 billion for the law and order, Rs8 billion for the mass transit to run around 100 diesel hybrid electronic buses and Rs4 billion have been separately earmarked for Peoples Bus Service Project.

"In the next budget, the government has proposed to appoint around 3,500 employees in different departments among these 1,400 teachers would be recruited to teach music and arts in various government schools," the budget proposal available with The Express Tribune said.

As per the budget proposals, college education department, law, prisons, health, revenue and services and general administration would be among other departments where induction process will be started after the budget.

According to budget proposals, the government has also decided to setup the science museum at the divisional level with total allocation of Rs150 million. "Around 300 elementary schools will be upgraded and more than 30 high schools will be given the status of higher secondary schools. No new school will be built, but the infrastructure of the existing buildings will be development," the spokesperson for Sindh Education Department said.

According to education department proposal, the non-development expenditure of school education department has been enhanced from Rs222 billion to Rs228 billion, but the development budget of the department is likely to be unchanged. "Currently, the schools education department has around Rs14 billion for the development budget. We have decided to retain the same figure sending the proposal to cabinet. It is up to chief minister and cabinet to further decide on it," an additional secretary of planning and development department said. However, the non-development expenditure of university has been increased from Rs7 billion to Rs8 billion. Regarding the development budget of health department, the officials said that Rs20 billion has so far been proposed for the various schemes as compare to Rs18.5 billion in the outgoing year.

The budget of local government department has been increased from Rs25 billion to Rs29 billion. However, the public health and engineering department is likely to get Rs17 billion as compare to Rs15 billion in current fiscal year that is going to end this month. The budget books further added that Rs33 billion has been allocated for works and services department and Rs19 billion for irrigation department.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2022.