KARACHI, Jun 15 (APP): Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday said in a post-budget press conference that the total development outlay for Karachi in 2022-23 was Rs.125 billion.
Giving break-up of the amount and the schemes, Murad Ali Shah said that Rs.80.077 billion has been allocated for 750 Karachi specific schemes of which Rs60.686 billion 483 on-Going schemes, Rs.19.390 billion for 267 news schemes.
CM Sindh further apprised that the next year Rs1.73 trillion budget has 69.9 percent or Rs1.199 trillion Current Revenue Expenditures, 3.18 percent or Rs54.5 billion Current Capital Expenditures and 26.8 percent or Rs459.65 billion development expenditures.
“The Current Revenue Expenditures (CRE) of Rs1.199 trillion could not be termed as non-development expenditures because it has 2.9 percent or Rs35.360 billion repair and maintenance (R&M) budget which itself is part of development budget,” he said and added the CRE has also 21.4 percent or Rs256.605 billion grants for educational, health institutions and for procurement of buses for BRT routes and subsidies for social protection and right-off loans, 14.5 percent or Rs 174.229 billion employees Retirement Benefits, 12.3 percent or Rs147.449 billion operating expenses and 42.5 percent or 509.732 billion employees related expenses.
Shah said that the non-development expenditures would not be more than 60 percent of the total budget but even then his government was trying to control them.
Replying to a question, the chief minister said that the 40 percent POL quota of the government officers has been slashed keeping in view the 40 percent increase in POL prices.
“The POL allowance of the officers is the same in terms of money, but the commodity price has increased by 40 percent which means they [officers] would be able to purchase 40 percent less POL from their allowance,” he elaborated.
Therefore, according to the CM, the non-development expenditures would not be more than 60 percent of the total budget.
The CM said that Rs.5 billion have been allocated from District ADP and Rs. 40.715 billion for seven Projects through Foreign Project Assistance which include Competitive and Livable City of Karachi Project (Click), Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project (KNIP), Karachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) Phase-I & Phase-IIfor Environmental, Social Safeguards and Design Studies, Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Program (SWEEP), Construction of BRT Red Line Karachi and Karachi Urban Mobility Project – BRT Yellow Line.
Murad Ali Shah also counted around 32 mega projects, including Safe City for Rs5 billion [its pilot part would be completed next year], dual carriageway Manghopir Road to Shahrah-e-Qaddafi for Rs12.19 billion and Rs937.42 billion have been earmarked for 2022, Renovation of Karachi Fish Harbour for Rs1.6 billion for which Rs309.6 million has been allocated, rehabilitation of storm water drains Phase-II for Rs1 billion.
The chief minister announced Gambat, a small town of Khairpur district, as Medical City. “A new term of Medical Tourism has been coined for the cities where people would go for their medical treatment,” he said and added Gambat would provide all kinds of medical facilities by establishing a healthcare related institution.
Talking about the health sector, the CM said that Rs219.787 billion had been allocated for the health sector which include Rs196.453 billion non-development and Rs23.334 billion development budget.
The chief minister said that currently a 660 MW coal-based energy was being produced from Thar Block-II and by the end of next year 2000 MW coal-fired power would be generated.
“Thar has the capacity to meet not only the total energy requirement of the country but can export its additional production to earn the foreign exchange,” he said and emphasized on how to tap its maximum potential.
Murad Ali Shah said that he had laid the foundation stone of Rs35 billion Nabisar-Vajihar water infrastructure project.
“This project has been launched under public private partnership with a Kuwait-state company,” he apprised and added the transition has won two awards- `Best innovative Islamic Transition and Best Islamic Transition Financing in Pakistan’.
The CM said the energy sector was earmarked Rs32.92 billion, including Rs2.55 billion development and Rs30.37 billion non-development budget.
He added that the energy portfolio was increased by Rs6.992 billion for next FY.
Murad Shah said that Rs21 billion had been earmarked for payment of electricity dues of Hesco/Sepco, KE, local councils, KWSB, and other departments.
The chief minister said Sindh has a 65 percent population of youth up to 35 years of age.
“Therefore, we have decided to establish universities or campuses of university in every district so that they could impart technical education,” he said and added his government was going to announce a five-year IT policy.
The chief minister sharing the data of some of the important sectors said that education [sector] has been allocated Rs326.687 billions, including Rs29.47 billion non-development and Rs34.217 billion development budget. He added that primary education was allotted Rs93.9 billion, secondary Rs50.8 billion, education administration Rs45.7 billion, college Rs26.7 billion, higher secondary Rs20.5 billion, middle education Rs18.9 billion, grants to universities Rs18.7 billion, medical education Rs10.5 billion and Rs6.3 billion Technical education.
The CM announced that Youth centers were also being established in every district for which 100 percent allocation has been made. The youth centers would have auditorium, library, tuck-shop, TV hall, gym and such other facilities. “The purpose is to provide healthy activities to our youth,” he said and added they [youth] could earn their livelihood by involving themselves into IT industry, artificial intelligence projects and literary activities.
The chief minister thanked Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for including three schemes in water sector and four schemes of road sector in the federal PSDP.
The water sector scheme includes construction of three small dams and Rs20 billion have been allocated for K-IV.
The road sector schemes include dualization of Mehran Highway from Nawabshah to Ranipur. “We have already constructed this important road but now it would be dualiused under PSDP,” he said. The other road is from Mundh Jamro (Sanghar district) to Sukkur through desert and construction of roads in Ghotki upto Ubaro and dualization of Tando Adam to Tando Allahyar.
Shah deplored that the PTI government during their three and half years tenure in Islamabad had not released funds even for the on-going scheme launched by their predecessors.
