MIRPURKHAS, June 28: District Nazim Dr Sughra Junejo presented Rs2,416.310 million budget 2007-08 of the district government at a district council session here on Thursday

The session approved the budget on the basis of majority vote and without a debate, which stirred a protest as some council members, wearing black armbands in anticipation of the situation, raised slogans of “shame, shame.”

Dr Sughra told the session that total expected expenditures of the district government would be Rs2,416.309 million. “An amount of Rs306.097 million has been allocated for development works which is 20 per cent more than last year’s allocations. An amount of Rs1,366.832 million has been allocated in salary component whereas non-salary component is Rs276.972 million,” she said.

Giving details of expenditures, the nazim said that Rs3.290 million had been earmarked for three schemes in health sector, Rs1.670 million for two schemes in agriculture sector, Rs131.928 million for road sector and Rs20.3 million for water and power sector.

She added that Rs10 million had been allocated for literacy programme, Rs500,000 for sports activities in schools, Rs20 million for prevention of hepatitis and epidemic diseases and Rs14 million for provision of medicines and other facilities at the Mirpurkhas Civil Hospital.

She told the session that Rs8.6 million had been allocated for Digri and Kot Ghulam Mohammad taluka hospitals and Rs8.150 million for medicines and vaccines for 25 basic health units.

Furthermore, Rs3.5 million had been earmarked for efforts to cope with natural disasters, Rs4.5 million for assistance to families of those employees of the district council and government who had die in accidents and Rs1 million for computerization of old record of the district council, she said. Dr Sughra said that a new district council hall would be constructed.