NAWABSHAH, June 30: The Rs1.344 billion budget of the district government for financial year 2004-2005 was presented on Tuesday at the Nawabshah District Council session which was approved by the members.

District Nazim Faryal Talpur presented the budget at the council session, chaired by convener Khalid Hussaini Channa. According to budgetary estimates, Rs7,52,723,229 has been allocated for salary and non-salary components of the education department, Rs96,683,512 for health, Rs20,200,000 for highways and bridges, Rs5,050,400 for finance and planning, Rs12,489,145 for the Board of Revenue, Rs17,117,200 for the district administration, Rs20,207,342 for works and services, Rs17,903,398 for agriculture, Rs10,113,485 for animal husbandry, Rs3,892,940 for forestry, Rs895,410 for fisheries, Rs669,810 for statistics, Rs287,990 for sports and recreation, Rs7,319,129 for social security, Rs13,289,400 for buildings and structure, Rs460,025 for information technology, Rs1,124,060 for cooperation, Rs1,601,517 for the law department, Rs1,3,686,520 for land management, Rs1,466,500 for excise and taxation, Rs641,365 for manpower and labour, Rs837,750 for civil defence and Rs255,000,000 for Annual Development Programme schemes.

Speaking at the session, the district nazim criticized the Sindh government for withholding part of the budget of the district. She said the Sindh government had withheld Rs300 million of the budget of Nawabshah and had asked the district government to execute ADP schemes through own resources.

She said the district government faced problems in undertaking development schemes due to resource constraints. Highlighting main targets for 2004-05, the nazim said the urban drainage scheme, phase-III, would be completed, water supply and drainage schemes in Daur, Jam Saheb, Bandhi, Sakrand and Qazi Ahmad would be extended and improved and drainage schemes in Sakrand, Khadar, Gharibabad and other rural areas would also be completed.

She informed the council that Rs104.253 million had been allocated for 54 ongoing and 42 new road schemes. In the education sector, she said Rs58.550 million had been earmarked for 31 schemes, including 22 ongoing schemes. An amount of Rs28.688 million had been fixed for 13 schemes, including eight ongoing schemes, in the health sector.

Ms Talpur said the district government was giving priority to the education sector and had allocated a huge amount for improvement of educational institutions.

She said a website (www.nawabshah.gov.pk) would soon be launched, adding that her government also planned to establish its own radio station for promoting education.

She the district government would plant 500,000 saplings in collaboration with NGOs and philanthropists. About supply of clean drinking water to people, the district nazim said water purification plants would be set up in each union council with the help of NGOs and donor agencies.

She added that a Unesco team would visit Nawabshah on July 8 in this connection. She thanked the DCO for surrendering non-development funds of Rs40 million and transferring the same to the development head. Earlier, the district nazim announced a grant of Rs100,000 for the Nawabshah Press Club.