HYDERABAD, June 23: The district government of Hyderabad on Monday presented a Rs4524.654 million budget for 2003-2004 against previous year’s Rs3761.649 million before the district council.

Neither any new tax was imposed nor any big project was proposed in the budget.

District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman presented the budget.

A fund of Rs6.86 million was allocated for welfare of women, labour and minority councillors of the district council, as well as social welfare, sports and culture. The fund would remain at the disposal of the district council.

An amount of Rs135.370 million was earmarked for new development schemes. Funds of the defunct district council, i.e. Rs83.500 million, were also merged in the district government’s budgetary allocations for development schemes, bringing total expenditure of development to Rs620.575 million. The non-development allocations were of Rs3394.287 million.

The district government is expected to get a share of Rs509.792 million from the federal government under octroi and district tax. The deficit of Rs37.187 million is being borne under heads of the district Nazim secretariat, district council secretariat, defunct district council, EDO, law, EDO, information technology, and on account of 15 per cent increase in salaries of Sindh government employees.

The Sindh government, while preparing the 2002-03 budget for the Hyderabad district, had asked the district government to prepare its next budget with to 10 to 15 per cent increase in its estimates. However, the present budget envisages 18 per cent increase for both expenditures of development and non-development sides.

A sum of Rs175.182 million was earmarked for the district Nazim secretariat, Rs130.211 million for the district council secretariat, Rs3.534 million for EDO, law, Rs1.311 million for EDO, IT, Rs30.000 million, for the defunct district council and Rs306.488 million for 15 per cent increase in salaries of employees.

The district government allocated Rs183.766 million for physical planning, Rs7.374 for rural development, Rs85.616 million for education and Rs22.283 million for health. Block allocation of Rs30.491 million was fixed for ongoing abandoned schemes and Rs72.175 million for approved schemes.

The total income of the defunct district council on account of taxes, fees, rent and other receipt was shown as Rs928.654 million.

An amount of Rs5 million was reserved as emergency fund in the head of the district administration. There is also an allocation of Rs5 million as discretionary grant of the district coordination officer.

Under the head of the district council secretariat, funds were also allocated for stationery, printing and publication, entertainment, miscellaneous expenditures etc.

In his budget speech, the district Nazim proposed that Rs20 million, saved from defunct district council funds, should be distributed equally among union councils.

He suggested appointment of six committees — district monitoring committee, ethic code committee, Insaf committee, sports and culture committee, district accounts committee and farm produce market committee — in addition to the district council’s sub-committees on various departments.

He said the Rs151 million ADP fund that would lapse after June 30 would be released later on under the head of ongoing schemes.

Nawab Rashid Ali Khan presided over the session.