Budget termed pro-poor, truly welfare

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has said that the provincial government, despite a difficult financial situation, has presented a truly welfare and pro-poor budget with a surplus of Rs100 billion in line with the party’s vision that prioritizes education, health, social protection, economic development and the well-being of the general public.

He has also lauded the efforts of all provincial departments, especially Finance and Planning and Development, in the preparation of the budget, adding that all departments would now have to work with the same dedication and passion to ensure the implementation of reforms and public welfare initiatives proposed in it.

Addressing a special budget meeting of the provincial cabinet held here at the Civil Secretariat in Peshawar, the Chief Minister directed that all departments must ensure progress on the welfare projects proposed in the new budget as per the stipulated timelines.

The Chief Minister said special attention had been given to increasing the revenue stream of the province by enhancing the working capacities of the departments, that the ‘throw forward’ of the Annual Development Program had been decreased from 13 years to six which would ensure timely completion of development projects in the province, and that the province would have to focus on improving its governance and boosting sectors lagging behind for any reason.

He said the provincial government was introducing reforms that would not only help in steering the province out of its current financial crunch but would also benefit future generations. Similarly, he said, the provincial government had decreased taxes levied on land mutation and urged the federal government to also cut its taxes in that regard.

He further said initiatives to reduce the disparity between rich and poor would also be undertaken with tax money collected from the wealthy being spent on the vulnerable segments of society, that initiatives had been proposed in the budget to keep the tax rate low but increase the tax net so as to meet budgeted expenditures without burdening the people, and that significant funds would be spent from the province’s own resources on the development of the merged districts.

The Chief Minister added that the amount of the arrears owed to the province by the federal government was increasing with each passing day and that his government would continue to raise its voice to obtain the province’s due rights through all options available for the purpose.

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