Hyderabad district nazim Kanwar Naveed on Tuesday presented tax-free budget with an outlay of Rs 2,397.963 million against projected expenditure of Rs 2,397.962 million having an Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2006-07 of Rs 386.473 million and District Development Programme (DDP) of Rs 40 million.
An increase of Rs 23.2 million has been recorded in non-salary expenses as compared to last year. It is Rs1000 symbolic surplus budget. The Sindh government had allocated Rs 2,150 million one-line budget to the district whose other receipts included salary component, octroi, zila tax share (OZT), property betterment tax and sugarcane cess.
A major amount of the budget, Rs 153.121 million, is diverted to salaries of district government's group of offices; an amount of Rs 240 million is allocated to non-salary expenses, totalling Rs 1,771.214 million.
The OZT is estimated at Rs 66.986 million, bringing overall tentative receipts to Rs 2,005.290 million. Other receipts are property/betterment tax of Rs 6 million and sugarcane cess of Rs200,000.
Estimated expenditures of Rs 2,397.962 million includes property tax, Sindh Devolved Social Services Programme (SDSSP), Khushal Pakistan Programme (KPP), Education Sector Reform (ESR), National Programme for Improvement of Watercourses (NPIW), sugar cess, Citizen Community Boards (CCBs), scholarships (Rs 9.291 million), School Management Committee (SMC). OZT share is to be utilised for salaries of defunct district council and for nine rural UCs.
The budget envisaged 40 new schemes of physical planning and housing (HDA), rural development, education, government offices/buildings, health and CCB.
New schemes included laying of sewerage and water supply line at a cost of Rs 10 million, utilisation of funds of Rs 60 million for roads and streets in Qasimabad and Hyderabad (rural) taluka, Rs 15 million for construction of shelterless schools mostly in rural taluka, installation of water purification plants in various UCs at a cost of Rs 2 million, construction of office of taluka municipal administration (TMA), Qasimabad at a cost of Rs 5 million and a similar amount is earmarked for repair of offices of UC whereas Rs 50 million would be spent on upgradation of basic health units and hospitals.
The district government's total savings of 2005-06 are Rs 167.090 million as on June 17, which included savings of provincial ADP, sugar cess, property tax, NPIW, etc.
In addition to ADP of Rs 386.473 million, a DDP is primarily based on savings from outgoing fiscal year that's why district government estimated expenditures of various heads on much higher side than estimated receipts. There has been increase of Rs 23.2 million in non-salary expenses, which has taken total expenses to Rs 240 million against last year's Rs 216.783 million. Zila nazim said there were allocations in various heads that had been made for the first time in the district government's budget.
According to zila nazim, overall budget of education department stood at over Rs 1,336 million, health sector would get Rs 311.416 million and social sector would have allocation of Rs 52.708 million. Although no separate allocation has been indicated in budget for UCs but they would be given development through diversion of funds under different heads.
The session began one hour late. After presentation of budget, convenor Zafar Ali Rajput referred the budget to council's finance committee to be presented for debate in the session, which has been adjourned till Wednesday.