Balochistan unveils deficit budget with total outlay of Rs 612.79 bln.

QUETTA -- The Balochistan government on Tuesday presented a deficit budget with a total outlay of Rs. 612.79 billion.

Finance Minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran presented the budget for the fiscal 2022-23 with the deputy speaker Babr Musakhail in chair.

Presenting the budget, the finance minister said that the provincial government would get Rs. 370.33 billion from the federal government under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award whereas the budget deficit is declared over Rs.72 billion.

A total of Rs.367 billion have been allocated for non-development expenditures for 2022-23 while Rs 191.51 billion have been earmarked for the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).

He said that the total number of ongoing development schemes is 3367 for which Rs. 133 billion has been allocated and the total number of new development schemes is 3470 for which Rs. 59 billion has been allocated.

The government of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and its allies has so far presented three budgets and this is the fourth budget being presented before the House, he added.

Finance minister, in his speech, announced that the government had decided to increase the salaries of the government employees by 15 percent on their basic salaries as of 2017 besides increasing pension by 15 percent.

'As many as 2,850 vacancies have been created to provide jobs to the jobless people in Balochistan,' he noted, adding the province would get Rs. 14.36 billion from the foreign support fund and Rs.40 billion on the account of the Sui Gas lease.

Highlighting the provincial government priorities, he said government accords priority to health and education sector as Rs.6.60 billion were allocated for the provision of medicines to patients across Balochistan.

"Our government has completed its eight-months term. This period is too short to evaluate the performance of any government. However, we have set a new record by achieving many important achievements during this short period," he said.

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