Sindh, Punjab, KP governments to present budgets today

ISLAMABAD: The Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments will present their respective provincial budgets for the next financial year 2013-14 in the provincial assemblies today (Monday).

In Sindh, the provincial finance minister will present the budget in the House. The Sindh cabinet will approve the new budgetary proposals before its presentation in the provincial assembly.

In Punjab, Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman will present the budget proposals in the assembly. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will chair a meeting of the provincial cabinet to approve the budget proposals prior to the assembly session.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provicial cabinet has approved the budget recommendations which include imposing a 1 percent tax on the Afghan transit trade, while the total budgetary outlay for the financial year stands at Rs. 344 billion.

From the total 118 billion has been earmarked for development projects which include 983 schemes, of which 565 are ongoing projects, and 351 new projects will be launched.

For Health Rs. 7.99 billion has been earmarked, while Rs. 13.82 billion has been earmarked for education and another Rs. 5.7 billion has been earmarked for higher education.