Sialkot District Assembly has passed surplus budget for 2008-09 amounting to more than Rs 5.6 billion unanimously in its meeting held here on Monday. Presenting the budget for next fiscal year, Sialkot district Nazim Muhammad Akmal Cheema said that education, health, agriculture and means of communication sectors have been given top priority in the new budget.
Highlighting the salient features of the budget he informed the House that Rs 2.17 billion has been set-aside for the promotion of education and provision of missing facilities of educational institutions of the district. The district Nazim further said that similarly Rs 45.47 crore has been allocated for health services and Rs 4.80 crore for agriculture, Rs 35.94 crore for industry, Rs 16.93 crore for means of communication, Rs 54.07 lakh for forestry, Rs 40.28 lakh for labour and Rs 1.76 crore for social welfare.
Akmal Cheema also informed the House that Rs 9.56 lakh has also been allocated for special children adding that the fund would be utilised on the provision of free textbooks, uniform, wheelchairs and hearing aid instruments as well as the special children would be provided stipend of Rs 200 per month.
The Nazim further told the House that Rs 80 lakh has been earmarked for the repair and construction of government hospitals and dispensaries while Rs 10 lakh has also been allocated for district officer health for the provision of vaccination of hepatitis B and C.
Under citizen community board, as many as 300 development schemes have been completed at cost of Rs 22.50 lakh while Rs 9.24 crore has been set aside in the budget for the purpose, he disclosed. Akmal Cheema further said that despite of limited resources, 115 water filtration plants has been installed under CCB at a cost of Rs 3.75 crore in various union councils of the district.
The mega project of CCB Khawaja Muhammad Safdar road is nearing completion at a cost of Rs 7.56 crore, he added. During the budget speech of district Nazim some opposition members created disturbance and raised slogans over petty issues just to hinder smooth proceedings of the assembly.
On this occasion a female member alleged that some members of the opposition were not only abusing but also using unparliamentary language in the house. The female and male members also exchange hot words on the said issue while the members chanted slogans of shame, shame.
The opposition members also torn the copies of budget containing Holy Verses of Quran and threw torn pieces on the members who were sitting in the house. The female and male members of the assembly have strongly condemned the disgrace of Holy Quran and demanded the punishment and ban of such members.