KHAIRPUR, June 30: Members of the district council, Khairpur, approved the budget for the fiscal 2004-05 at its session held here on Wednesday. Qasim Jiskani opened the debate on budget and proposed that funds for watercourses be provided.

He pointed out the spread of hepatitis-B in some areas of the district and suggested vaccination against the disease. Mr Jiskani said that the monitoring committee for the development works had failed due to non-cooperation of officers.

He said that there were many schools where number of teachers was more than the students while some schools had no teachers. Noorjehan Abbasi appreciated the upgrading of rural health centre Sobhodero as the taluka hospital.

She said that there was no irrigation water in all water channels the taluka. Kalab Hussain said that Nara taluka was ignored in the budget. He said that there was not a single high school in UC Tajal Sharif and the students travel for 40 kilometres for their studies.

He said that in the Nara taluka there was only one rural health centre in Chondiko but there was no lady doctor. District Nazim Nafisa Shah thanked members for cooperation and assured that their proposals would be entertained.

Earlier, Miss Shah presented a Rs2166.208 million district budget for 2004-2005 at a district council session on Tuesday. Presenting the budget, Ms Shah said a three-year plan for health and education was included in the estimates.

Receipts of the district government have been estimated at Rs2166.349 million against expenditure of Rs2166.208 million, showing a surplus of Rs141,445 million.

The nazim said Rs290 million had been allocated for the public sector development programme which included establishment of a museum. An amount of Rs24 million had been fixed for citizens' community boards, she added. The nazim said each union council would also identify at least one disabled person who would be paid Rs10,000 for initiating small business.