Sindh faces Rs59 billion shortfall in federal transfers: CM tells budget session

• Published date: 01 October 2018
• Publication title: Regional Times

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Sunday that the provincial government was facing a shortfall of Rs59 billion in the federal transfers; therefore, it slashed its ADP by Rs50 billion. This he said while delivering his concluding budget speech on the floor of the house. Talking about budget speeches delivered by the members, Shah said that the participation ratio of PPP members speeches was 49 percent.

'PTI has 29 members of them, 20 spoke, MQM has 21 of them 16 spoke, GDA has 13 members, of them 12 spoke, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan has three members of them two spoke. 'Over all 36 hours budget speeches were delivered which is unprecedented in other assemblies,' he said. He said that he had presented budget in May 2018-19 and again, we have adopted the budget with some changes. The chief minister said that the first three months of current financial year had come to an end and they were supposed to receive Rs166 billion against which, they received Rs107 billion which showed a shortfall of Rs59 billion.

'This is why we slashed our ADP by Rs50 billion,' he said and added otherwise it was quite difficult to meet the development expenditures.

He said that some old schemes of 2003 were also in the budget book. 'We have made a new policy under which 80 percent funds have been allocated for ongoing schemes,' he said and added 'when we had taken over in 2008, the roads leading to Thar, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas were dilapidated and now we have reconstructed them,' he said. The chief minister said that 90 percent ongoing development schemes had been given 100 percent allocation so that they could be completed.

'We are going to complete our 956 ongoing schemes and had completed 700 development schemes last year.' He said that 26 new schemes had been included in new ADP, of them some were are those which had been launched with the financial assistance of the donor agencies.

The chief minister said that village gasification, one medical college scheme and coastal highway had been included in the new ADP. 'We want to save Indus Delta and stop sea intrusion by constructing 87km Sindh Coastal Highway,' he said. The chief minister said that water supply and drainage schemes had been launched in Urban areas of Sindh. These schemes are in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, and Hyderabad.

He added that Water Commission was also working on water supply and drainage schemes and those commitments had also been made in the election manifesto of PPP.

Replying to a point raised by leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly, the chief minister said that the canal lining was most important in order to stop seepage and wastage of irrigation water. He added that the canal lining funds were used in six weeks because the canal lining work was carried out during six weeks period of canal closures.

He urged PPP MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio to take all MPAs to Nawabshah and show them Rohri Canal lining. Shah said that in 2016, FBR took out Rs6.7 billion from the account of provincial government as saying that 1.4 million vehicles were registered by excise department. He added that the matter was taken up with the State Bank of Pakistan which stopped at source deduction...