KARACHI, June 16: Sindh has allocated Rs67 billion for its Annual Development Plan (ADP) in the budget 2008-09, which is 23 per cent higher than the revised development budget for 2007-08. Out of this amount Rs55 billion would be ADP for the province and Rs12 billion for district governments’ development plan.

However, the total size of the ADP would come to Rs89.3 billion after adding Rs12.7 billion federal development grant, Rs9.09 billion foreign project assistance and Rs0.51 billion DERA. It is 23 per cent higher than the revised development budget of Rs72.3bn for 2007-08.

While presenting a deficit budget for 2008-09 before the provincial assembly on Monday, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who also holds the finance minister’s portfolio, laid stress on transport and communication sector on increasing its development allocation by 16 per cent to Rs9 billion against Rs7.66 billion of previous fiscal year.

The government would spend significant amount on development of farm-to- market roads, the chief minister disclosed.

Giving some details of the development plan, he said 586 schemes of road network with a total length of 1,200 km would be undertaken while 500 km roads will be improved and building of 10 bridges would be taken up.The chief minister further disclosed that in terms of strategic arteries and bridges, the Kahairpur-Larkana bridge over Indus will be undertaken by National Highway Authority (NHA) and another bridge on Indus from Sakrand to Sehwan has also been included in federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

The provincial ADP allocated Rs1 billion for village electrification and provision of Sui gas to villages. The allocation for provincial assembly members under priority programme has been raised from Rs5 million to Rs10 million.

The development budget 2008-09 has a hefty allocation of Rs4.7 billion for agriculture sector including livestock and fisheries compared to Rs3.5 billion in 2007-08, representing an increase3 of 36 per cent.

Similarly, the chief minister said construction of small dams was being undertaken and Nai Baran dam on a fast track basis will be taken up. The ADP has allocated sizeable amount for promotion of flower, fruit nurseries and mango farms and for setting up controlled atmosphere stores, cold storages, chillies and dates dryers and processing plants.

The chief minister said that the Agro-export Processing Zone at Karachi will become operational soon and it would facilitate in marketing of fruits, vegetables and flowers abroad.

The provincial government has evolved a programme to undertake a housing scheme for the retired government employees by constructing 100,000 units, which is in line with the federal government programme of building one million houses of its retired employees.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that for the health sector the priority will be to quickly expand and improve basic health services, improve the preventive programmes and also attend to tertiary health problems. About 100,000 households would be provided health insurance in first phase.

The chief minister informed the house that the overall education budget had been enhanced by 16 per cent and it includes Rs5.9 billion for various reforms supported by the World Bank and the European Commission.

The funds allocated under education budget will be used to finance free distribution of textbooks to over five million school children, Rs609 million for scholarships for girl students from class five to ten, and Rs500 million for supporting low cost private schools.

He disclosed that two engineering colleges and one college for arts and design and an institute of business administration will be set up in different cities of the province. Similarly, the college side, which has been neglected for a long time, an amount of Rs240 million have been provided for rehabilitating colleges.

The existing mega city development programme for Karachi is being up-scaled and this would now specifically focus on the transport sector. Under this programme, he said, the provincial government will go for mass transit means such as light rail that can provide solution to traffic congestions anticipated for the next few decades. Therefore, it funding will be scaled up from existing $800 million to $1.5 to $2 billion.

A package of Rs2 billion for various priority schemes for Karachi is being given, which also includes on-going and new schemes in water, sewerage and transport sectors. For Lyari Expressway Resettlement project Rs200 million has been budgeted.

Under greater partnership with private sector for creating milk cities having a whole chain of milk processing from producer to chillers to milk processing companies and finally to the consumer will be set up.

The ADP 2008-09 has allocated Rs200 million for revitalisation of Sukkur and Kotri industrial areas. Management and development companies will be formed for improving infrastructure and taking care of maintenance of these estates.

Realising the significance of information technology in the fast moving world of today, the Sindh chief minister said that fund for IT sector had been raised to Rs1.62 billion from last year’s Rs265 million.