K-P to spend Rs232.08b on health sector

Development budget for health stands at Rs35b

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has allocated Rs232.08 billion for the health sector in the new fiscal budget, including Rs35 billion that would be spent on health-related development projects and another Rs23 billion on urban development.

According to the budget white paper, Rs17.63 billion will be allocated to development projects related to agriculture during the next fiscal year, Rs1.16 billion to religious and minority affairs, Rs1.5 billion to the Board of Revenue, Rs7.5 billion to drinking water and drainage, Rs23.28 billion to Elementary and Secondary Education, Rs31 billion to the Energy and Power sector, Rs65 million to Environment and Rs750 million to Establishment and Administration.

Similarly, Excise and Taxation will get Rs170 million, Rs20.44 million has been allocated for Finance, Rs300 million for Food, Rs6 billion for Forestry, Rs35.77 billion for Health, Rs4.67 billion for Higher Education, Rs6.52 billion for the Home and Tribal Affairs Department, and Rs300million for the Housing sector.

Industry is to receive Rs2.24 billion, Information Rs70 million, Labour Rs150 million, Law and Justice Rs2.14 billion, Livestock and Dairy Development Rs2.71 billion, Local Government Rs3.38 billion, Minerals Rs210 million, Multi-Sectoral Development Rs6.60 billion, Population Welfare Rs490 million, Public Private Partnership Rs220 million, Relief and Rehabilitation Rs1.64 billion, Roads Rs58.39 billion, Social Welfare Rs1.33 billion, and Sports, Culture and Youth Rs6.53 billion.

Science and Technology and Information Technology will get Rs1.66 billion, Tehsil ADP Rs30 billion, Tourism Rs8.38 billion, Transport Rs100 million, Urban Development Rs23 billion, Urban Policy Unit Rs500 million, and the Irrigation Department Rs28 billion.

Under the National Finance Commission, Rs39.28 billion is included according to the three per cent share of other provinces.

By the same token, an air ambulance service has been launched in K-P under the provincial ADP. A satellite centre of the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) will also be established in the southern districts of the province.

This year, the government has allocated 13 per cent additional funds as compared to the outgoing year. The establishment medical and dental colleges, with the partnership of the private sector, are also part of the ADP.

Furthermore, the government has allocated Rs10.97 billion for the purchase of medicines and the budget of Sehat Card Plus has been kept at Rs28 billion in the settled districts and Rs9 billion in the merged districts.

It may be mentioned here that the government on Friday has announced a Rs416 billion Annual Development Program (ADP) for the 2024-25 financial year.

Rs416.30 billion has been allocated for development expenses. The amount includes Rs120 billion for the provincial ADP, Rs24 billion for the district ADP, Rs36 billion for the merged districts’ ADP and Rs79.29billion for the Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP).

The ADP and salient features of the 2024-25 K-P budget announced by Finance Minister Aftab Alam include an allocation of Rs12 billion for the Ehsaas Employment, Youth and Skills programmes under which 100,000 jobs would be created for people of the province.

Presenting Budget 2024-25 at floor of the House, the finance minister said that 5,000 new houses would be constructed under Ehsas Own House Program for which Rs3 billion allocated.

Likewise, Rs10 billion earmarked for CRBC Lift Canal to irrigate three lakh acres lands, launching of Tank, Chodran and Daraban dams, allocation of Rs26.90 billion for wheat procurement, Rs6.50 billion for construction of roads, Rs2.50 billion for emergency works, construction of Dir and DI Khan motorway under public private partnership mode, construction of road to link DI Khan with Hakla motorway and 470 megawatt Lower Spat Gah project.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2024.