Rs 243 billion Balochistan budget unveiled

The Balochistan budget for the next financial year with a total outlay of Rs 243 billion rupees was presented in the provincial assembly in Quetta on Wednesday. Opposition political parties boycotted the budget session, terming it ''''anti-masses''''. Presenting the budget, Adviser to the Chief Minister Balochistan on finance Mir Khalid Khan Langove said the deficit of the budget is estimated at 26 billion rupees.
He said 189 billion rupees have been allocated for non-development expenditures in the budget while 54 billion rupees have been earmarked for development projects. The nationalists-led coalition government has given priority to education and health sectors. A total of Rs 38 billion have been allocated to education sector whereas Rs 15 billion has been allocated to health sector. However, most of the funds allocated to education and health in the past have usually been spent on the salaries of teachers, doctors and para-medics rather than the development of these two sectors.
Despite a deficit budget, the volume of non-development expenditures has been increased by the provincial government. He said the provincial government has decided to increase salaries and pension of government employees by 7.5 percent. The adviser said 14.33 billion rupees will be spent on energy sector, over 1.11 billion rupees have been set aside for generation of commerce and industries in the province. About 5,000 vacancies will be generated through the new budget. A new Gwadar International Airport would be constructed with the help of federal government.
PhD allowance has been increased from 7,000 rupees to 10,000 rupees while M. Phil allowance has been increased from 750 to 5,000 rupees. Langove said that 1.3 billion rupees were distributed among the families of those who were affected by terrorism in the province. Moreover, a compensation amount to the heirs of martyred personnel of forces and other government employees has also been increased from two million to four million rupees and the maximum to 50 million rupees.