QUETTA: Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Sho­a­ib Nosherwani will present the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on Tuesday (tomorrow), with the total outlay of the surplus budget expected to exceed Rs1 trillion.

Under the National Fina­nce Commis­sion (NFC) Awa­rd, Balochistan is set to receive Rs743 billion from federal revenues, distributed mainly through the divisible pool taxes and dir­ect transfers from natural resources, including gas.

Officials expect the pro­v­ince to receive an additional Rs70bn in federal funds.

Meanwhile, Balochistan’s own revenue, generated through provincial taxes and non-tax sou­rces, is estimated to surpass Rs150bn.

Non-development expe­n­d­iture for the upcoming year is projected to exceed Rs700bn, while more than Rs240bn may be earmarked from the province’s own resources for development spending. Substantial funds are likely to be allocated to key sectors, including education, law and order, health, infrastructure, and agriculture.

More than Rs160bn is expected to go to the education sector, over Rs100bn to law and order, and around Rs80bn to health services.

Salaries of government employees in Balochistan are also likely to be increased in line with federal government’s announcement. Provincial employees have been protesting in recent weeks to demand pay raise and other benefits.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2025