Punjab Govt Manages To Unveil Rs3.23tr Budget.

LAHORE -- While delivering the much-awaited budget speech in unusual circumstances at a place other than the Punjab Assembly, Punjab Finance Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari Wednesday unveiled a tax-free provincial budget for the year 2022-23 with a total outlay of Rs 3.236 trillion.

For the first time in Punjab's history, the budget session took place at Aiwan-e-Iqbal instead of the Assembly chambers, thanks to sheer stubbornness of Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi who tried to dictate his terms for two consecutive days for presentation of the budget.

In the tax-free Punjab budget, the government has set aside Rs 685 billion for the annual development programme whereas Rs 528 billion has been allocated for local governments.

In the development budget, 40 percent consists of the social sector, 24 per cent for infrastructure, 6 per cent production sector and 2 per cent services sector and 28 percent funds have been allocated for other programs and special initiatives.

Out of the total Rs 685 billion development budget, Rs 365 billion have been allocated for the ongoing development schemes whereas an amount of Rs 234 billion has been proposed for new schemes. Also, Rs 45 billion have been allocated for public-private partnership while Rs 41 billion are being allocated for other development schemes.

In the overall budget, it has been proposed to allocate Rs. 485.26 billion for the health sector, an amount which makes over 10 percent of the total budget. The government has proposed Rs 428.56 billion for the education department.

The finance minister told the House that Rs. 1,712 billion have been proposed for the current expenditure which was 20 percent more than the previous year.

Awais Leghari announced that the government had allocated a hefty amount of Rs 200 billion under the Chief Minister's Public Facilitation Package under which the 10 kg flour bag which was earlier being sold at Rs. 650 will now be available to the public at Rs. 490.

The finance minister disclosed that a relief package worth Rs 142 billion was also part of the new budget which included reduction in food prices to the people, provision of transport facilities at discounted rates, availability of fertilizer to poor farmers at discounted rates and provision of other agricultural necessities.

The minister said that an amount of Rs 125 billion was being allocated for health cards for the next financial year. The previous government, he said, had allocated Rs 60 billion under this...

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