The Sindh Assembly on Monday passed over Rs 542 billion fiscal budget 2012-13 of the province with a unanimous vote as no cut motions were moved by any member. With Speaker Nisar Khuhro in the chair, the house underwent daylong proceedings to approve the budget. Some 90 lawmakers out of the total 168 debated the budget for eight days, before voting it to pass.
The house also approved a supplementary budget of over Rs 140.345 billion for the outgoing fiscal year 1211-12. After leader of the house, Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah concluded his speech on the budget, the house voted on the government's financial plan to approve it unanimously.
Shah criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif for his remarks against Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) government during his recent tour to Sindh. Besides, he criticised the small opposition parties in Sindh for supporting the movement for construction of Kalabagh Dam. He termed the dam as anti-Sindh project. He said that Nawaz Sharif was playing politics in Sindh at the cost of people's miseries. He said the opposition parties were following the policy of criticism for the sake of criticism.
He said PPP Co-Chairman President Asif Ali Zardari is an unmatched leader in the country at present. He said the budget for next fiscal year has been evolved keeping in view the wishes of Sindh's people. Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Sardar Ahmed appreciated the new format of budget presentation. He also pointed out some irregularities in the fiscal estimated amount and its usage.
He suggested a close monitoring of funds to stop corruption with a view to ensure exact spending on the uplift projects in the province, adding that the wealth primarily belongs to public. "It is public money and should be spent judiciously," he said. He said there was no regular flow in the average provincial expenditures as the provincial government's spending during first 10 months was equivalent to that of the last two months of the current fiscal year.
The lawmaker emphasised on taxing of agriculture income and demanded of the government to change the status of Sindh Bank from commercial to micro finance one with a view to support the poor and generate employment. Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah rejected the demand to tax the agriculture income, saying the farmers' earnings are already small despite it provides food to the country.
He criticised those lawmakers for quoting wrong figures of budgets during their speeches. He said the government will monitor budget spending to carry out development works. Earlier, PPP's provincial minister for irrigation, Jam Saifullah Dharejo hoped the water supply into Sindh's canals for irrigation will increase with melting of glaciers in northern areas of the country and rising flow level of Kabul River. He pointed out that water shortage occurred in May and June this year because of global warming and changing weather pattern, which also pushed the growers to cultivate crops in a huge scale that normally is not done.
He informed the house that the irrigation department supplied water for those crops, which needed much of it to protect them from drying up. He said all the supply was done through a management plan. Dharejo said the water supply would improve in the next five days.
The irrigation minister said the floods of 2010 and 2011 had badly hit the crops and agriculture land which emerged as a big challenge. After the floods, all breaches and of canals were cemented to stop the spillage of water, he said, adding that prior to deluge no repair work had been done for the last 14 years. He said water development projects at Sukkur and Guddu barrages have also been carried out, adding that the 15 closed gates of Sukkur barrage were reopened for increasing the water flow.
PPP provincial minister for local government, Aga Siraj Khan Durrani indirectly criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Chairman, Imran Khan for his increasing involvement in Sindh's politics. He also alleged Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif for destroying his province to make way for allocating huge funds for rehabilitation of the stricken-areas.
He indirectly called Imran Khan a "drummer", saying his political gatherings always give an impression of a musical show. He alleged Khan of receiving huge funds from Jewish lobby and showed worries that why the Molvis are silent over the situation. Durrani said the PTI chairman had also supported a military dictator in referendum. He said Imran would destroy the country within 90 days after coming into power. But he questioned, "who will give you power" to rule the country? He said the constitution does not allow the citizens to interact with Jews.
About the local government elections, he claimed that the government is willing to hold the polls once the voters list is finalised. He said this fiscal year budget earmarked Rs 134 billion for local government up from Rs 120 billion of the current fiscal year allocations. To a reservation, he said the government has announced budgetary uplift packages for the different districts of Karachi in the next fiscal year budget because these areas had been left ignored during the 10-year of military dictatorship.
Pakistan Muslim League Likeminded's (PML-L) lawmaker, Abdul Razzaq Rahimon raised the issues of incomplete projects in Tharparkar district, saying law and order situation in the area has worsen during the present government tenure. He lamented the government's "biased" attitude towards his party's members as their development funds have been withheld by the concerned department. He said his party has greatly supported the resolution and other moves in the house which came for strengthening of Asif Ali Zardari as a president.
Pakistan Muslim League Functional's (PML-F) parliamentary leader, Jam Madad Ali Khan highlighted the issue of water, saying farmers are faced with difficulties to irrigate their standing crops. He said the tail-end agriculture land suffers the most from the water crisis. He also demanded of the government to increase the salary of private employees as it has announced 20 percent rise for its officials. He said he has been given a ministry, which have no office, secretary and staff to run the affairs of science and technology, therefore he had nothing to say. Sindh Senior Minister for Education, Pir Mazharul Haq tried to dispel the negative impression about his department's role destruction of education system. He said the literacy rate to 57 percent from 53 percent.