Punjab government announces Rs780b budget for 2012-13

LAHORE:
The Punjab government allocated a budget of Rs780 billion for the province for the upcoming fiscal year 2012-13 on Saturday.

Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, presenting the budget in the Punjab Assembly, announced a 20% increase in salaries of government employees and a 5% reduction in salaries of MPAs. Around 125,000 laptops will be distributed to students under the scheme of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The finance minister, accusing the federal government of inefficiency, claimed that the provincial government met with a lot of hurdles in the energy sector and many projects were disrupted because of the federal government.

“We had allocated Rs9 billion for the energy sector last year, but the sector did not see any progress because of the federal government. We have tried to solve the issues ourselves. Now, we are allocating Rs10 billion for the energy sector.”

More details of the budget are as follows:

 

• Rs31.56 billion allocated for the education sector


• Rs32.38 billion allocated for general administration


• Rs 81.86 billion for public order and safety


• Rs1.5 billion allocated to courts to help them enhance their performance




• Rs2 billion allocated for initiation of Ashiana Schemes in four different cities


• Rs27.5 billion allocated to keep the price of wheat reasonable


• No new tax on the lower and  middle class will  be imposed


• Rs320 million allocated for minorities


• Rs2 billion allocated for eight more Danish Schools


• Rs6.5 billion allocated for Punjab education fund


• Solar panels worth Rs1 billion will be installed


• Rs62.9 billion allocated for infrastructure


• Rs15 billion allocated for the youth


• Rs11.1 billion allocated for services sector


• Rs2.4 billion allocated for IT sector


• Rs100 million allocated for Labour and HR department


• Rs6.2 billion for transport sector


• Rs16.5 billion allocated for health sector


• Rs1.8 billion allocated for sports