Balochistan Finance Minister Asim Kurd Gailu on Sunday said that the government would fill 10,000 vacancies, including 2400 newly created posts and 7500 already lying vacant posts, during the financial year 2008-09 aimed at reducing unemployment in the province.
Addressing post-budget press conference here at the Officers Club, the Finance Minister, who was accompanied with the provincial Finance Secretary Mehfooz Ali Khan, said that the government was increasing its resources through exploration of natural resources which would also generate employment opportunities in the private sector in the province.
He said that the government had prepared the 2008-09 budget facing financial crisis and constraints, and sincere efforts were underway to overcome the financial constraints in the province. Referring to the Rs 19 billion loan of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), he said that the provincial government would take up the matter of overdraft of Rs 19 billion with SBP Governor for waiving off the loan, or converting it into soft loan, which would improve the financial condition of the province.
He expressed hope that the province would get more resources after the announcement of new NFC award, which would also help to overcome financial difficulties. Asim said the government had not included new development schemes in the budget as it was committed to complete the ongoing development projects within the stipulated time. Completion of these schemes would benefit the people in the province.
He, however, said that the government had set aside Rs 3.25 billion for launching new development schemes. The amount would be spent on new schemes, in consultation with coalition partners in the government and identifying new schemes by MPAs. Each assembly members is authorised to launch new schemes worth Rs 15 million in his/her respective constituency which should be completed within two to three years.
Finance Secretary Mehfooz Ali said the allocation of funds for development projects had been increased from Rs 35 billion to Rs 55 billion due to increase in material prices in the province. He added that the government had not included any new scheme in PSDP as it wanted to ensure timely completion of the ongoing development projects in the province.
He said the government would make functional all district hospitals and schools with the aim of providing maximum health and education facilities in the province. The government will provide more funds for this purpose, he said.
The finance secretary said that the government would provide scholarships to 24,000 students, while free books would be provided to all students up to matriculation in the province.
He said that the government had also put aside handsome amount for coping with natural disasters. "That is why the current expenditure shows higher amount in the budget than the outgoing year budget.
He said the government had got revenue Rs 30 million from Chamalang coal field. Besides the coal reserves, the field had provided job opportunities to 10,000 people.
Mehfooz said the revenue of the government had increased from Rs 30 million to Rs 260 million from Saindak gold project, and added that the revenue of government was Rs one billion four years ago and now it had increased to Rs 3 billion. He said that the federal government would not only consider the population in the coming NFC award, but it would also regard the scattered population and other issues of other provinces.
He expressed hope that the financial constraints and problems of the province would be resolved after announcement of the new NFC award, and said that the Balochistan government had nominated Dr Gul Faraz Khan as its technical member for the coming NFC award meeting.
He said that the government had called Frontier Corps personnel from other province for maintaining law and order in the province. The provincial government had spent Rs 300 million for the purpose. Now, some wings of the FC had been sent back.