PESHAWAR: The city district government on Tuesday announced the Rs11.181 billion budget for the financial year 2018-19.

However, the budget presented by nazim Mohammad Asim Khan didn’t carry new schemes for education, health, agriculture, sports and women’s development in violation of the guidelines given by the planning and development department.

Of the total outlay, only Rs700 million was allocated for the district’s annual development programme.

No new project for education, health, agriculture, women development sectors

The budget has Rs9.893 billion funds for payment of salaries to the employees of devolved departments and Rs0.587 billion for the non-salary expenditure.

The development outlay did not include new development scheme in education, health, sports, agriculture, and women’s development sectors.

These departments will be paid Rs330 million in liabilities of the previous financial year’s development schemes.

The remaining Rs370 million of the district ADP funds will be utilised on the drinking water and sanitation schemes, development of sports grounds and electrification.

Sources told Dawn that the city district government had showed Rs680 as the ADP funds in the previous financial year keeping in view Peshawar’s share in the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) Award but it got only Rs370 million from the provincial government.

They said the district government had already spent Rs680 million on development schemes under an understanding with contractors for payments afterwards.

According the guidelines of the planning and development department, the district government is bound to allocate 20 per cent of the ADP funds for education sector, 10 for healthcare and 15 per cent for sports, agriculture and women’s development.

However, the district government violated the guidelines by not allocating that amount of money for these sectors.

The provincial finance department has framed criteria for the release of funds to the three tiers of local bodies under which it releases the remaining funds to LGs after the utilisation of 60 per cent of the last year’s funds.

The district government had submitted a certificate to the finance department in Jan this year, which was issued by the accountant general office, regarding the utilisation of the previously released funds, sources said.

They however said the finance department denied the release of the remaining funds.

Presenting the budget, nazim Mohammad Asim said a rehabilitation centre would be established for the addicts of ice drug (crystal meth) at the cost of Rs25 million, while a Rs330 million parking plaza would be put up in Namak Mandi area.

The revenue estimates contained in the budget documents project Rs. 10.55 billion as provincial capital’s share in PFC award, Rs. 645 million from local fund, Rs. 80 million from district council grants. However, district government revenue estimates for current year witnessed a little decrease as compared to revised estimates for last fiscal. The current budget projects Rs. 11.27 billion revenue estimate while it was over Rs. 11.30 billion in the last year.

The opposition members attended the session wearing black armbands to protest the ‘constant’ reduction in the funding of local bodies by the finance department.

On a point of order, leader of the opposition Syed Zahir said it was injustice with the local bodies to release them less than half of the development budget every year.

He urged the treasury and opposition to begin a joint movement to claim due funds.

Council convener Syed Qasim Ali Shah later adjourned the session until Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2018