For AJK, development is just not a priority

92 per cent of the budget earmarked for non-development expenditure.

MUZAFFARABAD:

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Thursday unveiled a Rs55.685 billion deficit budget for the next fiscal year showing a 10 per cent increase in total outlay compared to the previous year’s 49.59 billion. Major chunk of the budget, Rs45.185 billion will be spent on recurring expenditures. 

Finance Minister Chaudhry Latif Akbar while presenting the budget in the Legislative Assembly said Rs14.176 billion will be generated from state resources whereas Rs809 million will collected as water uses charges of Mangla, Rs9.20 billion as 80 percent of income tax from AJ&K Council and Rs13.60 billion from federal tax share.

He said Rs4.516 billion will be generated from Provincial Excise, Rs69 million from Land Record and Settlement, Rs132.250 million from Stamps, from forest Rs402.50 million, from registration 57.50 million.



Taking a cue from violent protests in the AJK, against power outages and paralysed the economy, the AJK government has allocated Rs560 million for power projects in order to overcome the energy crisis, while Rs680 million have been allocated for the construction of small hydel power projects. The previous year, Rs1.13 billion was allocated for power projects.



However, only eight per cent of the budget has been allocated for developmental projects. Of the Rs10 billion developmental budget, 42 per cent will be spent for the construction of roads in Azad Kashmir. Some Rs800 million have been allocated for education which is 0.87 million lower than the previous year’s at a time when the federal and provincial governments have increased allocations for this sector substantially. Some Rs300 million have been allocated for health with a focus on creating more than 800 posts in the sector in 2013-14. Last year, over Rs580 million had been earmarked for the health sector.

The AJK government has announced a 10 per cent raise in the salaries and pensions of government employees in line with the increase announced by the federal government as compared to last year’s, 20 per cent increase in the salaries and pensions of government employees.



To improve law and order, Rs102 million have been allocated for prisons and Rs36 million for Civil Defence. The Armed Services Board will get Rs45.718 million. Rs850 million have been allocated for local government and rural development, Rs110 million for tourism. He said Rs20 million have been allocated to preserve the environment and Rs350 million for wildlife and fisheries. An investment of Rs370 million will be made in housing while Rs150 have been allocated for development and renovation of departments and Rs20 million for Information Technology.

Akbar said Rs50.990 million have been provided to the sports, youth and culture department, Rs113 million for Religious Affairs, Rs176.7 million for Social Welfare and Women Development, Rs46 million for agriculture, Rs458.77 million for animal husbandry, Rs146.860 million for food, Rs617.8 million for forests, Rs45.58 million for  co-operatives and Rs57.62 million for sericulture.

The opposition boycotted the assembly session to protest the fact that its recommendations for the budget were not considered by the government. Legislative Assembly Speaker Sardar Ghulam Sadiq adjourned the session till Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2013.