Three-month budget worth Rs4480.7bn unveiled for Punjab

Lahore: The Punjab Assembly on Monday unveiled the proposed three-month budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, totaling 4480.7 billion rupees, with an estimated income of 3331 billion 70 crore rupees.

From the federations' distributable income under the NFC award, Punjab anticipates 2706 billion 40 crore rupees, while provincial revenue is forecasted at 625.30 billion rupees, showing a 25 percent increase from the previous year.

While the provincial revenue has been estimated at 625.30 billion rupees with an increase of 25 percent from last year in which 240 billion rupees are expected to be collected from the Punjab Revenue Authority with a 26 percent increase, 99.20 billion rupees from the Board of Revenue with a 4 percent increase and 45.50 billion rupees from the Excise Department with a 5 percent increase.

The spokesman said that the non-tax revenue has been estimated at 231.80 billion rupees with an increase of 42 percent. In the current financial year, 513.73 billion rupees for salaries, 392.10 billion rupees for pensions and 627.70 billion rupees have been allocated for local governments.

The development budget for the financial year 2023-24 is estimated at 655 billion rupees, while the amount allocated for projects / programs / grants supported by foreign aid is 113.2 billion rupees. 36 percent of the development budget consists of social sector, 39 percent infrastructure, 8 percent production sector and 4 percent services sector. Similarly, 13 percent of the development budget has been allocated for various programs and public welfare special initiatives.

The spokesman said that compared to the current budget of the last financial year of Rs 1712 billion, the current budget estimate for this year is Rs 2074 billion. Social security measures are estimated at 20 billion rupees, the rate of increase in salaries and pensions of provincial employees is 35 percent in the basic pay scale for grades 1 to 16.

Whereas, according to the basic pay scale of grades 17 to 22, the salaries have been increased by 30 percent and the pension has been increased by 17 percent. The spokesperson said that a provincial database authority will be established with Rs 50 crore to have accurate data for various sectors. And proper planning is possible according to the needs of urban and rural areas.

A total of Rs 473.62 billion has been earmarked for the health sector. The provincial government will start four programs for complete overhauling of rural health centers and primary health centers with 40 billion rupees so that no citizen is deprived of the right to health. Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research will be constructed in Lahore with 30 billion rupees for which an initial amount of Rs 50 crore has been kept in the development budget of the last three months of the current financial year.

The spokesman said that 45 billion rupees have been set aside for the public-friendly and poor-promoting health insurance program in the current financial year. New day care centers for working women will be established across Punjab with one billion rupees. The spokesman said that an amount of 1.40 billion rupees has been allocated in the development budget for the welfare of religious minorities. The spokesman said that a total of 79.12 billion rupees have been allocated for the development of the agriculture sector. The spokesman said that a total amount of 25.75 billion rupees has been allocated in the transport sector for travel facilities.

The spokesman said that a journalist endowment fund of one billion rupees will be established so that media works can be provided with the best medical treatment as well as support for the families of martyred or deceased media works. Along with this, a big program of construction and repair of 82 roads and highways is being started with 320 billion rupees, through which 2659 km long roads will be repaired.

The spokesman said that Rs. 5 billion will be spent on the project of "Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar" program, Rs. 2 billion will be spent on selected buses and Rs. 1 billion on the project of electric bikes for smog-free Punjab. Under Suthra Punjab, a program of 2 billion rupees for solid waste management, 5 billion rupees for repairing streets and sewers, and a project of CM Plant for Pakistan will be started with 1 billion rupees.

The spokesman said that the Nawaz Sharif IT City in Lahore would be started with 10 billion rupees, the Global IT Certification Program with 1 billion rupees and the Punjab Dastak program with 25 crore rupees.

By which people would be able to benefit from 43 government services sitting at home. The spokesman said that the Punjab government has allocated 236.37 billion rupees for important social sectors such as education, health, water supply and sanitation, women's development, sports and youth affairs, population welfare and social security which is 36 percent of the current financial year's development budget.

 The spokesman said that a total of 595.8 billion rupees have been set aside for the education sector in the current financial year Out of which 537.40 billion rupees have been kept under non-developmental budget Which is 26 percent of the total non-development budget of the current financial year.  

“57.68 billion rupees have been allocated for the development budget of the education sector, which is 9 percent of the total development budget,” said the spokesperson.  Out of the overall development budget allocated for the education sector, 44.41 billion rupees have been earmarked for school education, 9.36 billion rupees for higher education, 2.99 billion rupees for the literacy and non-formal education department, and 92 crore rupees for special education.