Summary Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman Monday presented budget worth Rs Rs 897 billion.
LAHORE (Web Desk) - A welfare-oriented and business-friendly budget with a total outlay of over eight hundred and ninety seven billion rupees for the financial year 2013-14 was presented in the Punjab Assembly on Monday evening.
Presenting the budget, Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said a huge amount of twenty billion four hundred thirty million rupees would be spent on the energy sector during next fiscal year.
He said the non-development expenditure of provincial departments will be reduced by thirty per cent and discretionary grants of ministers have been abolished.
Patwari system will be abolished by 2014 and the Computerized Land Record System will be completed throughout the province, he said.
The Minister said five billion rupees have been allocated for provision of daily use items to people during upcoming Holy Month of Ramazan.
Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman said three billion rupees have been allocated for improving the transport system.
He said the Aashiyana Housing Scheme will be expanded to other parts of province.
He said Chief Minister s Laptop Scheme will continue and an amount of one billion five hundred million rupees will be spent on this project.
The Finance Minister announced an increase of ten percent in the salaries and pensions of the provincial government employees. He said that the minimum salary for labourers has been fixed as ten thousand rupees.
He said that twenty eight billion rupees will be spent on provision of sasta atta to people.
The budget seeks a ten percent increase in the salaries of government employees and recommends that the minimum wage for labuorers be raised to Rs 10,000.
Rs 290 billion have been allocated for development and the provincial government is expected to receive Rs 702 billion via the NFC award.
Rs 169 billion will be received from provincial and income taxes. The provincial government has allocated Rs 210 billion for education, Rs 82 billion for health and Rs 13 billion for agriculture.
Rs 93 billion have been allocated for law and order and the police and Rs 110 billion for general administration. Social services will receive Rs 90.78 billion and Rs 20.43 billion for the energy sector.
The finance minister said that metro bus service would be launched in Multan, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. He said that Rs93 billion were allocated in the budget for South Punjab region.
Budget proposals also include establishment of Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC).
He announced that laptop schemes would continue while Rs3 billion would be allocated to build more Danish Schools.
He also said that budget includes Rs5billion subsidy for the coming month of Ramadan.
He further announced Rs82 billion were allocated for health and Rs210 for education.
