Over Rs300bn deficit budget to be unveiled today

KARACHI: The Sindh budget for 2009-10 with an expected outlay of over Rs300 billion is being presented in the Sindh Assembly on Monday (today).

Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who also holds the portfolio of finance, will present the second deficit budget. It would be the second budget to be presented by the Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition government since the Feb 18, 2008, general elections.

The size of the budget 2009-10 is expected to be over Rs300 billion with a deficit of Rs15 billion. The total outlay of the current fiscal budget 2008-09 was Rs267.7 billion with a deficit of Rs14 billion.

The Sindh cabinet would approve the budget proposals prior to its presentation in the assembly, which is scheduled to meet at 5pm on Monday at its historical building.

Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro would preside the budget session and, as was the case last year, should face little ire from the floor, as the opposition in Sindh is virtually non-existent. Almost all political parties in the assembly had become a part of the coalition government.

Informed sources said that Rs90 billion is likely to be earmarked for the provincial annual development programme, which is Rs23 billion more than last year’s budgetary allocations in this head.

Of the total ADP allocation, an amount of Rs15 billion is expected to be allocated for 23 district governments, which is Rs3 billion more compared to the last year’s allocation.

As far as the ADP is concerned, the government would focus on reducing poverty and generating employment through economic growth by involving civil society and other stakeholders in improving the quality of public service delivery, particularly in health, education, water and sanitation, livestock, farm to market roads and industrialisation sectors.

A union council-based poverty alleviation programme is another ‘pro-poor’ initiative which would improve the quality of life for the poor in the rural areas; an amount of Rs2.5 billion has been earmarked under this head.

The thrust of the ADP will be on completion of the ongoing development schemes, as 60 per cent of the total ADP amount is being allocated for ongoing schemes.

The sources said that a special package for laying improved infrastructure in big cities such as Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana has also been included in the budgetary allocations.

Besides ongoing schemes, emphasis in the new schemes would be on the education sector, for which Rs6.02 billion, which is 27 per cent higher than the last year’s allocation, has been allocated. Besides this, Rs2.7 billion would be provided for improvement, rehabilitation and upgrading schools under the Sindh Education Reform Programme.

For the health sector, an amount of Rs5.23 billion has been allocated, which is 48 per cent higher than the last year, to provide better health facilities to the general public, particularly to the poor segment of society, who otherwise could not afford even basic health facilities.

An amount of Rs100 million has been allocated for the information and archive department; Rs155.5 million for Social welfare; Rs886.7 million for Science, Technology and IT; Rs302.9 million for women welfare; Rs200 million for environment; Rs80 million for rural development; Rs7.250 billion for poverty alleviation and Rs3 billion for school children nutrition programme.