Allocating funds: G-B announces Rs27.64b budget for 2014-15

GILGIT:

An annual budget of Rs27.64 billion for fiscal year 2014-15 was presented in the Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Minister for Finance Mohammad Ali Akhtar delivered the budget speech in the assembly session chaired by G-B Assembly Speaker Wazir. The session was also attended by Chief Minister Mehdi Shah. It was the fifth budget under the governance of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The government has earmarked Rs9.6 billion for the development sector while Rs18 billion has been set aside for non-development expenditures: an increase of Rs3 billion since the last budget.

The health and education sectors received Rs810m each.



A 10% raise in government employee salaries was proposed and a minimum pension of Rs6,000 was suggested. Rs200.2 million for agriculture, Rs120 million for forests, Rs20.7 million for fisheries and Rs140 million for tourism were also set aside.

At the start of the proceedings, opposition lawmaker Nawaz Khan Naji stormed out of the house, terming the proceedings an exercise in futility while the only other opposition member present remained silent throughout proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2014.