LAHORE: The Punjab government is going to present provincial budget for the next fiscal year (2016-17) today with total outlay of about Rs1.73 trillion against the last year’s outlay of Rs 1.45 trillion.
The government has increased almost 10 percent allocation for Annual Development Programme to Rs462 billion.
The budget will be presented by Punjab Finance Minister Ayesha Ghaus Pasha in the 22nd session of Punjab Assembly presided over by Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal.
According to the finance minister, the budget would be a developmental budget in which increase in growth rate, public friendly tax collection system, social welfare projects, health, communication and strong polices for better performance of important departments besides practical implementation would be introduced.
Around 10 per cent increase in the salaries of the employees and a 15 percent raise in the pension of retired employees has been proposed in the budget. The government may not launch any other mega project except the Orange Line Metro. The laptop scheme for students will continue this year and Rs6 billion are being earmarked in the provincial budget on this count.
Provincial revenue during FY17 is expected to be Rs 324 billion while Rs 784.5 billion are likely to be received from federal government under National Finance Commission (NFC) award.
Over Rs 363 billion will be allocated for development, Rs 130 billion for education, Rs 870 billion for non-development expenditure, Rs 18 billion for the power sector, Rs 125 for the social sector and Rs 44 billion for the services sector.
According to budget documents, Rs79 billion will be allocated for roads, Rs15 billion for water supply and sanitation, Rs 610 million for social welfare department, and Rs 570 million for women development.
Rs 41 billion will be allocated for irrigation, Rs23 billion for special package for CM, Rs23 billion filtration plant for drinking water and Rs30 billion for projects established with the foreign investment. The police will get Rs13 billion in the upcoming budget, while Rs10 billion will go for northern part of Ring Road in Lahore.
Rs7 billion will be earmarked for Knowledge Park, Rs7 billion for missing facilities in schools and Rs5b for expansion of canal road in Lahore.
The budget will also announce Rs50 billion under Kisan package for the year 2016-17.
