Sindh Finance Secretary Sohail Rajput has said that budget 2014-15 of Sindh Government has based on reality and will ensure development in all sectors with limited resources, effective utilisation of funds on all ongoing schemes and relief to the masses.
Addressing the post budget press conference first ever in the history here on Sunday afternoon, the provincial finance secretary informed that effective measures are being adopted for timely release of development grants to the departments concerned and its effective utilizations in order to avert the issue of lapse of funds.
The total budget outlay for the financial year 2014-15 is pitched as Rs 686.17 billion as against the budget estimates of Rs 617.21 billion for the financial year 2013-14, he said and added that the total receipts of the province are estimated at Rs 672.11 billion as against the budget estimates of Rs 595.57 billion during the year 2013-2014. The federal receipts are projected as Rs 474.26 billion as against Rs 409.01 billion in the year 2013-14, he said and added that the provincial own receipts are estimated as Rs 125.06 billion for the year 2014-2015 which is four per cent increase over budget estimates of Rs 120.18 billion of the year 2013-2014. Sindh Revenue Board is expected to collect Rs 49,000 million in the year 2014-2015 which will be an increase of 17 per cent over current years estimates of Rs 42,000 million, he said and added that the budget proposes to reduce the standard rate of Sindh Sales Tax on Services from 16 per cent to 15 per cent from July 1, 2014. He informed the current revenue expenditure is projected at Rs 436.09 billion against the budget estimates of Rs 355.973 billion of the year 2013-14. The enhancement is largely due to increase in non salary budget aimed at improving service delivery in the province, he added.
He informed that the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the Financial Year 2014-15 has been estimated at Rs 168 billion which is Rs 17 billion less than the outgoing years estimate of Rs 185 billion, but 46 per cent higher than the outgoing years revised estimates of Rs 115 billion. The provincial finance secretary informed that the key priority areas of the provincial government are to improve service delivery across all sectors, peace and security through investment in law and order, education and youth development, improve healthcare for the people, energy generation, building a robust infrastructure as well as development of agriculture, livestock and fisheries. The improvement of education is on top among these priorities, he added. First ever in the history, he said that the provincial government has allocated Rs 26 billion for the payment of outstanding dues of the provincial departments to K-Electric, HESCO and SEPCO.
The provincial government had already paid all outstanding dues up to June 2010 and due to exaggeration in billing, the outstanding arrears of Rs 56 billion from July 2010 to March 2014 are based on injustice, he said and added that one the directives of the provincial government, the DDO list of 18 thousand electric connections of Sindh Government Departments are under process and the incharge concerned have been asked to justify the electric connections of their respective departments.
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