ISLAMABAD, June 7: The decision on the sixth National Finance Commission (NFC) award is expected soon, after which it would be incorporated in the 2005-06 budget for implementation, said Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Salman Shah. “We are close to finalizing the new NFC award and it could come next month as provinces have largely resolved their internal differences,” Dr Shah told a post-budget news conference on Tuesday along with State Minister for Finance Omar Ayub.

The adviser said it would not be fair to presume that the government had shied away from announcing the new award and thus saved over Rs60 billion.

The opposition on Monday had walked out of the National Assembly during the budget speech by the state minister for finance charging that it would be unconstitutional to announce the budget in the absence of the sixth NFC award.

Provinces, the adviser said, had mandated President Gen Pervez Musharraf to finalize the new award which did not mean that this had been postponed till 2006-07. Both the president and the prime minister, he pointed out, were interested in finalizing the award and “we expect a decision on it next month or maximum after two months”.

He said funding provisions for the new award could be kept for 2005-06 as soon as some of the remaining issues were sorted out.

“I don’t see any blockade in the finalization of award to be applicable in 2005-06,” he said.

“After having further consultations with the president, maximum funds could be allocated to the provinces during the first year of the NFC award and later we can make adjustments,” he said.