Summary CM announces 10 to 15% increase in salaries, minimum pension raised from Rs 3,000 to 5,000.
KARACHI (Web Desk) - The Sindh government has presented its budget in the provincial assembly for the fiscal year 2013-14 having a total outlay of Rs 617 billion.
Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah while presenting the budget listed energy crisis, job creation and education as top priorities of his government.
The total budget is worth Rs333 billion as opposed to last year’s budget of Rs161 billion.
Amounts allocated to major sectors are as under:
Heads Funds
Education Rs 110 billion
Health Rs 17 billion
Police Rs 48.63 billion
Developmental projects Rs 83 billion
Loan repayment Rs 100 billion
Administrative expenditures Rs 132 billion
Poverty Alleviation Rs 2 billion
Electricity bills Rs 11 billion
The salaries of govt employees have been increased by 15% for Grade 1 to 15 and by 10% for Grade 16 and above.
Job opportunities will be created for 150,000 people, Qaim presented.
Rs400 million has been allocated for the purchase and installation of surveillance cameras in Karachi to improve the law and order situation in the city, he said.
Budget allocation for pensions was increased by 10%.
In his budget speech presenting the budget allocated to energy sector, Shah said, “Thar coal project is the most viable solution to the energy problems of our own country.”
“To legitimate dues in the energy sector Sindh government has paid a substantial amount of 14 billion to distributing companies in the current financial years to reconcile past arrears,” CM Sindh said.
In his opening remarks, the chief minister said that people of the province preferred policies of the Pakistan People’s Party led government in Sindh.
“We have emphasized more on utilization of resources, Pakistan will progress if Sindh will prosper,” he said.
He announced 10 to 15 percent increase in the salaries of Sindh government employees of grade 1-15 and a ten percent increase for employees of grade 16 and above. Pensions were also increased by ten percent and the minimum pension was raised from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000.
Rs 89 million have been earmarked to improve the performance of the police and Rs 48 billion for improving law and order situation.
The chief minister announced 20,000 recruitment in Sindh police. He also vowed to create 150,000 jobs in the province.
300,000 youth will get vocational training with the help of World Bank, he added.
He said that the government has allocated Rs 2 billion for Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) 32 billion for development projects and 11 billion for power distribution companies.
