Sindh Assembly approves budget 2011-12

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously approved the budget of Rs. 439.40 billion for the financial year 2011-12, rejecting all 653 cut motions presented by the opposition.

The session began with Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro in the chair at 10.30am. Provincial Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah presented 59 demands for grants that were also unanimously approved by the house.

Chief Minister Sindh and Leader of the House Syed Qaim Ali Shah, as he rose to spoke right after the budget’s approval, felicitated the assembly members and speaker for running the session in a peaceful environment. He said parliamentary system could only run effectively if opposition was given equal chance of participation.

Shah also lauded Murad Ali Shah as he described ‘his untiring efforts’ in preparing the budget.

Opposition for cut in expenses: The opposition members raised objections over the government’s demands for purchase and maintenance of vehicles, expenses on fuel, funds for purchasing furniture for ministers and other non-development expenditure.

Leader of the opposition Jam Madad Ali asked for deducting the operating expenses and repair and maintenance expenses of Provincial Police Office Sindh. He also proposed to cut similar expenses for Capital City Police Officer Karachi.

Legislature Marvi Rashdi demanded that the expenditure on procurement of unnecessary equipments for ministers’ offices should be curtailed.

She also proposed in one of the ‘cut motions’ for reducing the expenditure on Education Secretariat and divert it on renovations of dilapidated schools, especially in rural areas.

Government’s rejection: Murad Ali Shah opposed all the cut motions backed by majority of the house members. He said government had already made economic cuts in the budget 2011-12 in various sectors.

He said this year the provincial revenue expenditure stands at Rs 146.2 billion which was 160 billion in the year 2010-11 was. He said ministers had reduced their expenditures in this budget.

Each minister, he said, was working on Rs 40,000 per month salary, which, according to him, was meager keeping in view the arduous nature of their job. “But we still are not demanding pay raise,” he added.

Qaim Ali Shah, while responding to the proposed cuts in police budget by the opposition leader, said Jam also use escort police vans, so it is unwise to criticize the police budget. He added that LEA’s performance should be praised instead of discouraging them.

The record 123 members spoke in the general budget discussion. The house rose at 6.05pm till Saturday morning.(PPI)