MULTAN, July 26: The district government on Friday presented a Rs2.58 billion tax-free budget for the financial year 2002-2003.

Financial statement for the year was presented at a district council meeting presided over by Naib Nazim Malik Muhammad Amer Dogar. The budget session will also be held on Saturday to discuss budget proposals.

According to budget statistics, the estimated income during the fiscal is Rs2.5007 billion against the expected expenditure of Rs2.55 billion. Neither any new tax has been levied nor the ratio of existing ones increased.

Of the budgetary allocations, Rs1.27 billion will be spent on the payment of salaries to the employees of former provincial departments which have been devolved to the district government. Of which, Rs25 million will be spent on the salaries of such employees who have been declared surplus. An amount of Rs55.5 million will be spent more this year under the salaries head as compared to the allocations last year. Rs30 million have been earmarked to pay salaries to district council employees. This is Rs7.6 million less than the allocations last year.

A sum of Rs150 million has been allocated for the contingency needs of the provincial departments. While, the government is likely to give Rs220 million, Rs6.87 million have been allocated for charged expenditures.

Among other non-developmental expenditures, Rs6.63 million have been allocated for the promotion of sports, Rs1.5 million for scholarships to intelligent and deserving students, Rs1 million for social welfare organizations, Rs0.1 million for the training of Nazimeen and Rs1.66 million for unseen expenses.

An amount of Rs860 million has been allocated to carry out development work. Of which, Rs216.4 million will be spent to complete the ongoing schemes while Rs357.5 million will be granted to the four tehsil councils for uplift work in their respective areas. A sum of Rs137.8 million will be provided to 126 union council of the district to distribute equally among themselves to carry out development works.

Giving details of the major development schemes, district Nazim Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Rs20 million had been allocated for the first phase of Jalalpur Pirwala THQ Hospital, Rs30 million for electricity supply to rural areas, Rs68 million for lining of water channels and other productive programmes in the agriculture sector and Rs5 million for the establishment of a modern library in Multan city.

He said three industrial homes and child health care centres would be established each at Jalalpur Pirwala, Shujabad and Multan Saddar tehsils besides introduction of IT classes at Sanatzar Multan and establishment of a women resource centre at the district level. Meanwhile, Rs40 million have been allocated under the discretionary powers of the district Nazim.