Budget: Balochistan allocates Rs172 billion for 2012-13

Provincial government did not take any foreign loans in past four years, says Balochistan finance minister.

QUETTA: Balochistan has allocated Rs172 billion budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 as compared to Rs71.19 billion in 2009.

Finance Minister Asim Kurd, who announced the budget on Monday, said that the province did not take any foreign loans in the past four years.

He added that when the provincial government came into power, the government had an overdraft of Rs19 billion, but there is no overdraft anymore.

The income of the province was Rs3 billion in 2009, which has now increased to over Rs5 billion, Kurd added.

A 20% increase in the salaries and pensions of government employees has been announced, and Rs1 billion have been allocated to provide free medicines in state hospitals. Rs13 billion has been allocated for maintaining peace in the province, while the police has been allocated a budget of Rs5 billion.

The non-developmental fund for education has been kept at Rs22.5 billion, while a separate fund to provide 1,500 internships to students has also been allocated. Agriculture has been given Rs5 billion.