FRIDAY APRIL 26: Curtail expenditure, exercising austerity: Prime Minister issues guidelines to MoF for fiscal year 2014 Budget

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has directed the Finance Ministry to exercise austerity while formulating the budget for next fiscal year in view of the economic situation. The Prime Minister on Thursday issued guidelines to the Finance Ministry for preparation of next fiscal year's budget with special emphasis on curtailing expenditure and exercising austerity to ensure judicious utilisation of the public money.
Khoso also directed that masses be given priority and should not be subjected to undue burden in the budget. Sources said the Finance Ministry has recently concluded priority committee meetings to finalise the current and development expenditures of the federal ministries.
They said the Finance Ministry has taken care that the ministries and divisions' budget does not exceed Rs 278 billion, which is 9.5 percent higher than the budgeted Rs 262 billion for the current year. A senior official of the Finance Ministry said the Planning Commission is preparing a working paper of Annual Plan Co-ordination Committee (APCC), expected to be convened in first week of May to approve the federal and provincial development expenditure for the next fiscal year.
The APCC meeting would be attended by provincial representatives of Planning and Finance Division, sources said, adding that the national accounts committee would finalise GDP growth for the current fiscal year as well as growth projection for the next fiscal year. The GDP growth and other macroeconomic projections for the next fiscal year and development budget would be presented to the meeting of National Economic Council (NEC) for approval expected to be chaired by the elected Prime Minister and attended by the four elected Chief Ministers. According to the Finance Ministry in case the NEC meeting is convened by the caretaker government, the concerned authorities would issue notification to constitute the meeting.
The ceiling of development budget for Cabinet Division has been proposed at Rs 2.5 billion for the next fiscal year, Capital Administration & Development Division at Rs 925 million, Climate Change Division at Rs 30 million, Commerce Division Rs 780 million, Communications Division (other than NHA) Rs 165 million, Defence Division Rs 4 billion, Defence Division (Suparco) Rs 700 million, Defence Production Division Rs 2.3 billion, Economic Affairs Division Rs 30 million, Education and Training Division Rs 3.3 billion, Establishment Division Rs 5 million, Federal Tax Ombudsman Rs 16 million, Finance Division Rs 19 billion, Foreign Affairs Division Rs 20 million, Higher Education Commission Rs 17.8 billion million, Housing and Works Division Rs 3.8 billion, Human Rights Division Rs 200 million, Industries Division Rs 825 million, Information and Broadcasting Division Rs 500 million, Information Technology & Telecom Division Rs 930 million, Inter Provincial co-ordination Division Rs 270 million, Interior Division Rs 7.2 billion, law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs division Rs 1.5 billion, Narcotics Control Division Rs 425 million, National Food Security & Research Division Rs 750 million, national heritage & Integration Division Rs 12 million, National Regulations & Services Division Rs 14 million, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Rs 54000 million, Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority Rs 190 million, Petroleum and natural Resources Division Rs 50 million, Planning and Development Division Rs 38.928 billion million, Ports and shipping Division Rs 500 million, Production Division Rs 800 million, Railways Division Rs 30000 million, Revenue Division Rs 200 million, Science & Technological Research Division Rs 1.7 billion, Statistics Division Rs 220 million, Textile Industry Division Rs 315 million, Water and Power Division (Water) Rs 64000 million, total (Federal Ministries) Rs 258900 million.
The government has proposed allocation for Corporations which included Wapda (Power) Rs 39 billion, NHA Rs 65 billion. Special Area which included Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Balitistan Division is proposed to be allocated Rs 28.1 billion, State & Frontier Regions Division Rs 18.5 billion and special programmes, PWP-I Rs 5 billion, PWP-II Rs 22 billion, and Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority Rs 13.5 billion.
The recurrent budget has been proposed at Rs 278 billion for the federal governments and divisions. The current budget for Capital Administration and Development is proposed at Rs 12.79 billion, Climate Change Rs 38.2653 million, Commerce Rs 5.04 billion, Communication Rs 6.6 billion, Defence Rs 8.803 billion, Defence Production Rs 587 million, Federal Tax Ombudsman Secretariat Rs 105 million, Economic Affairs Division Rs 2.922 billion, Statistics Division Rs 1.520 billion and under Finance, Revenue Division; (i) Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Rs 3.06 billion; (ii) Controller General of Pakistan Rs 3.66 billion; (iii) Secretary Finance Division Rs 3.490 billion, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)17.165 billion Secretary Planning Division Rs 968 million.
The following current budget for the department under the Cabinet Secretariat has been proposed: (i) Chairman PM Inspection Commission Rs 47.458 million; (ii) Chairman Atomic Energy Commission Rs 5.33 billion; (iii) Chairman NAB Rs 1.684 billion; (iv) Chairman Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority Rs 339 million; (v) Military Secretary to the Prime Minister Secretariat Internal Rs 439 million; (vi) Military Secretary to the President Secretariat Personal Rs 343 million; (vii) Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Secretariat Public Rs 368 million; (viii) Secretary Board of Investment Rs 205 million; Secretary Cabinet Division Rs 11.646 billion and Secretary Establishment Rs 3.539 billion.
The recurrent ceiling for the ministry of information and Broadcasting has been proposed Rs 6.070 billion, Information Technology Rs 2.791 billion, Inter Provincial Co-ordination Division Rs 1.681 billion, Interior Division Rs 62.796 billion, Law and Justice Division Rs 2.681 billion, Registrar Supreme Court Rs 934 million, Secretary Election Commission Rs 1.834 billion. The recurrent ceiling for Narcotics Control has been proposed at Rs 1.52 billion, National Assembly Rs 2.009 billion, Senate Rs 1.339 billion, National Food Security and Research Rs 2.737 billion, etc.