Sirajul Haq. PHOTO: FILE
Defending the provincial budget as “people friendly”, on Sunday Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Minister for Finance Sirajul Haq said they presented a balanced financial plan aimed at the welfare of those living on the breadline.
This was not enough for the less-than-impoverished bureaucracy it seems. Although the budget contained an entitlement of 10 marlas for the housing needs of government officials, the finance minister revised this within 24 hours of presenting the document in the K-P Assembly. As it stands now, ministers and bureaucrats will be entitled to a house on 20 marlas of land.
“I announced it on the floor of the assembly but I had to revise the decision,” Haq said in the post budget news conference at the Civil Secretariat. He reiterated 54.27% of the budget was set aside for welfare, 11.9% administration and 34.54% for development purposes.
Touching on the K-P government’s much-touted mass transit system for Peshawar, Haq said although no specific allocations have been made towards this project, it has been made part of the development budget.
“For the first time in its history, K-P has generated a revenue of Rs29 billion from its own resources,” said the senior minister. This will further improve in the coming year after existing gas reservoirs will be used to generate electricity, added Haq.
“There is a surplus of natural gas in the province. Using this, we plan to produce 400 mega watts (MW) of electricity in the coming years. This will also provide jobs to about 40,000 individuals,” shared the minister. At the cost of Rs7 billion, the K-P government plans to set up 350 small dams in Malakand.
Waiting on hydel profits
Securing the rights of the province from the federal government will be a priority during the next financial year, said Haq. The K-P government is still owed Rs175 billion in net hydel profits.
“We have huge financial resources trapped with the centre, however, the budget has been based on money which is our right,” said the senior minister. “If we want to achieve the estimates outlined in the budget, we have to be provided our rightful share on time.”
In the current fiscal year, the federal revenue was estimated at Rs2,475 billion but they only managed Rs2,270 billion which ate into the provincial share, said Haq.
Talking about education
“For the first time, the K-P government has made a hefty allocation of Rs111 billion for education.” The senior minister said an information technology university will be established as a major focus of the province’s educational drive will be on enhancing technical and vocational training.
Although mentions have been made about medical colleges in Nowshera and Timergara, however, there has been no talk of the already planned Shaheed Bhutto Medical College in Peshawar.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2014.
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