QUETTA: Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, Balochistan Finance Minister on Tuesday presented the province’s budget for the fiscal year 2022-23, with a total outlay of more than Rs612 billion. The budget session was presided over by acting speaker Babar Moosakhel.
The budget includes federal transfers worth Rs370.33 billion, Rs48.37 in funds that the province generated, foreign funds for projects worth Rs14.36 billion, and Sui Gas lease extension bonus worth Rs40 billion, Capital Receipts – including State Trading receipts – worth Rs12.21 billion, federal grants worth Rs28.27 billion. The government also expects Rs11.40 billion in carry-over funds from the ongoing fiscal year.
The government has also allocated Rs366.718 billion in non-development funds. Among the current, non-development expenditures, the provincial government has set aside Rs83.211 billion – by far the largest chunk – for Education Affairs and Services. This is up from the Rs70.263 billion the government has spent on the sector so far this year, having allocated Rs71.904 billion in the outgoing year.
“Rs191 billion have been proposed for the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP),” said the finance minister in his budget speech.
Khetran said Rs28.3 billion have been proposed for the Federal Funded Projects (FFP) and Rs14.6 billion for foreign project assistance (FPA), apart from the proposed development funds of the province.
The finance minister added that 3,367 development projects are currently underway for which the province has proposed Rs133 billion and for the 3,470 new projects, it has proposed a total of Rs59 billion.
He said that the proposed budget is Rs612.79 billion, while the province expects to earn Rs539.94 billion next fiscal year, therefore, the budget deficit will clock in at Rs72.85 billion.
Khetran added that the government had approved a 15% hike in the basic salaries of public-sector employees in line with the pay rates of 2017. A 15% raise had also been given to pensioners.
He said that the minimum wage for laborers had been set at Rs25,000.
The finance minister said the budget for health has been proposed at Rs43 billion, education at Rs83 billion, while Rs56 billion have been proposed for the maintenance of law and order in the province.
The government has also allocated Rs1.75 billion for food security, he added
