THATTA, June 29: District Nazim Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi presented a Rs1.433 billion budget of the Thatta district government for 2003-4 at the district council here on Saturday, which was approved without any debate.

In the budget, Rs820.794 million was earmarked for salaries of employees of the district government departments and Rs612.550 million for development schemes and miscellaneous expenses.

The Nazim told the council that Rs228.000 million was allocated for four water supply schemes, 45 schemes of new roads, seven education schemes and completion of 32 ongoing or incomplete schemes of various departments. Besides this, Rs120 million was earmarked for renovation of roads.

He said the district council was expected to get Rs170.5 million for completing ongoing schemes under the Drought Emergency Relief Assistance programme.

The Nazim announced that the district government would start a new project — Rural Development Project — this year. The six-year project includes link roads, water supply schemes and training programme for revenue staff.

The district council allocated Rs7 million for the laboratory of the Makli Civil Hospital and to improve the intensive care unit and dialysis machines of the hospital. A sum of Rs2 million was fixed for reactivating 18 ambulances, lying out of order at taluka hospitals. An amount of Rs8.3 million was earmarked for purchasing medicines for the district’s hospitals.

In the education sector, Rs36 million was allocated for scholarships and Rs51 million was fixed for repair of buildings of schools and colleges. As many as 200 schools would be established during the current year.

Earlier, Dr Barkat Khwaja, the chairman of the finance and planning committee, Thatta District Council, moved a resolution for presenting the budget.

The session was presided over by convener Mohammad Ibrahim Gandhro.