Balochistan to execute over 6,600 uplift projects

Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nowsherwani on Friday presented the provincial budget for the next fiscal year with a total outlay of Rs930 billion, with particular emphasis on substantial investments in education, health, and development initiatives.

The budget allocated Rs609 billion for non-development expenditures, while Rs219 billion was earmarked for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), which includes 2,704 new development schemes and 3,976 ongoing projects.

Nowsherwani presented the budget in the provincial assembly session chaired by Speaker Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai. Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti and members from treasury and opposition were present on the occasion.

At the outset, the house offered fateha for Awami National Party (ANP) leader Nawab Abdul Zahir Kasi. Also the presentation of the budget went smoothly without any opposition protest. “Let me go through the budget, then we will make a decision”, Opposition Leader Mir Younas Aziz Zehri said.

In a significant boost to education, the budget for this sector has been increased from Rs96 billion to Rs146.9 billion, according to the budget documents. To address the issue of out-of-school children, 9,394 teachers would be recruited.

The minister said that 3,000 new vacancies of the teachers would be created. He added that basic facilities would be provided to 3,000 schools across the province. The law and order also saw a substantial increase in funding, with Rs84 billion allocated, representing a 53% increase.

Healthcare also received a major boost with an allocation of Rs67 billion, marking a 30% increase. Rs5.5 billion was dedicated to the Balochistan Health Card initiative, Rs582 million for cancer medication, and Rs2.8 billion for new machinery for the government-run hospitals.

Climate change and environmental sustainability also remained key priorities of the provincial government, with Rs909 million allocated to climate change initiatives. An additional Rs10 billion was reserved for the Green Initiative Balochistan, including solarisation of tube wells. Rs1 billion was allocated for the Green Bus Service in Quetta and Turbat.

To address the cost of living and support government employees, salaries for those in Grade 1-16 would see an increase of 25%, while those in Grade-17 and above would receive a 20% raise. Pensions would also be increased by 15%.

The budget aimed to address critical needs of the people, focusing on improving infrastructure, education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. However, in a lone voice of dissent, Asad Baloch, Chief of the Balochistan National Party (Awami), criticised the budget.