OKARA: The district council in its annual budget session for 2018-19 approved annual estimated budget worth Rs1.5 billion, including expected income of Rs800.34 million as well as previous year’s balance of Rs250 million.

These estimates also comprise provincial grant worth Rs480.8 million under Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) Award and local income of Rs272.5 million.

The annual expected expenditures is Rs1.3 billion, including salaries of district council employees, allowances and the honoraria to chairman, vice chairmen and chairmen of union councils worth Rs122.5 million. The contingency expenditures included utility bills and purchase of machinery worth Rs76.8 million. These expenditures also included payment of pension, grant on death of staffers and share amount of election expenditures worth Rs72 million.

For maintenance and repair of sites, including graveyards, playgrounds, field-to-market roads, mosques, residences, water supply, common roads, district council complex, Rs53 million has been fixed and for new and ongoing development projects, Rs1 billion.

During the session, union council chairmen Rai Muhammad Shafi Kharal, Malik Afzal Wattoo, Chaudhry Ammar Ajmal, Rai Zahoor Kharal, Ali Yaseen Joiya, Muhammad Asghar Khan, Waseem Chaudhry and Muhammad Ashraf Chaudhry started taunting each other for supporting different candidates in the elections.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2018