Rs 86.507 billion budget presented in NWFP Assembly: deficit estimated at Rs 2.30 billion

The NWFP government on Sunday presented Rs 86.507 billion provincial budget for financial year 2005-06 against total receipts of Rs 84.199 billion, showing a deficit of Rs 2.308 billion. NWFP Finance Minister Siraj-ul-Haq presented the budget in a specially convened session of NWFP Assembly amid protests from opposition for convening the session on weekly holiday.
In his budget speech the minister informed the house that of the Rs 84.199 billion receipts the federal government would pay Rs 34.98 billion from the federal divisible pool.
The receipts showed an increase of Rs 5.9 billion from the current financial year.
The estimated grant from the federal government for the year is Rs 5 billion as compared to Rs 4.5 billion of the current financial year.
Under the head of the net profit on hydel generation, the budget has shown an amount of Rs 8 billion.
Out of total expenditures of Rs 86.507 billion, estimated current expenditures amount to Rs 51 billion, while capital expenditure is Rs 14.5 billion and developmental program is worth Rs 21.9 billion.
Announcing the salient features of the budget, Siraj said that the province would generate 8 percent of total receipts from own resources. He said that there was a 20.39 percent increase in federal share as compared to the current financial year.
The budget is divided into welfare, administrative and developmental sectors.
The welfare budget is Rs 36.2 billion, administrative budget Rs 9.8 billion and developmental budget is Rs20.9 billion, which amount to 54, 14.7 and 31.3 percent, respectively.
With increase in the salaries of government employees, the volume of the welfare budget had further expanded," Siraj said.
According to the budget document the following would be the priorities, steps and targets of the budget for 2005-06.
Education: An amount of Rs 14.4 billion has been allocated for education against Rs13 billion of the current financial year. Of this, Rs 6.9 billion (47.8 percent) would be spent on primary education, Rs 1.9 billion on middle level, Rs 4.5 billion on secondary level, while allocation for colleges is Rs 1.6 billion. An amount of Rs 117 million would be available for training, research and libraries. Rs 10 million would be spent on provision of tots to those schools where furniture had not been arranged. Rs 110 million is for ordinary repairs and meeting other basic requirements of schools while Rs 220 million would be locally spent through parents and teachers associations.
Health: An amount of Rs 3.6 billion has been sanctioned for health, which is 10 percent of total budget and shows an increase of 10 percent over current financial year's allocations of Rs 3.3 billion.
The health sector projects would include installation of MRI and CT Scan machines through an endowment fund of Rs 100 million in Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH). The revenue generated through public-private partnership would be spent on treatment of low-income and poor patients. The construction of an extra gynae ward in KTH is also included in the priorities. A Drug & Diagnostic Centre would also be established at an estimated cost of Rs 200 million in Peshawar.
Administrative Budget: The provincial government has sanctioned Rs 9.8 billion for administrative budget, which is 14.7 percent of total provincial budget and 8 percent more than current financial year.
The government has sanctioned Rs 3.7.4 billion for police and recruitment in 2500 vacancies has been approved for police. Rs 252 million has been sanctioned for prisons and recruitment of 100 wardens in different prisons of the province is also under consideration. Similarly, Rs 90 million has been sanctioned for the department of excise & taxation and Rs 393 million for the department of Revenue & Estate Dept, Rs 524 million for law and justice and an amount of Rs 3.74 billion has been sanctioned for pensions.
Developmental budget: The annual developmental programme for 2005-06 is Rs 21 billion, showing an increase of 29 percent over current financial year. The province's own share in the ADP is Rs 11.2 billion, which is 32 percent more than current financial year. The ADP also includes foreign assistance of Rs 6.46 billion, which also includes Rs 856 million foreign grants.
The provincial developmental program comprises 985 projects, including 788 ongoing and 197 new schemes. Rs 1.5 billion has been sanctioned for launching of special programs, while Rs 479 million has been sanctioned for population welfare program of federal government and Rs 963 million for district development program.
The social sector has been given top priority in the annual development program of 2005-06 and 46 percent funds have been sanctioned for this sector, which is 11 percent for health, 27.3 percent for education and 2 percent for Tamer-e-Sarhad Program, water supply and sanitation. The shares of other sectors are: roads 12.3 percent; housing & works 2.3 percent; irrigation 6.1 percent; agriculture 1.6 percent; forests 1.4 percent; industries 2.5 percent; and rural development 17.5 percent.