KARACHI, June 18: The topmost priority of the Sindh government in the new budget is to improve the law and order situation in the province, particularly in the metropolis, because until law and order situation improves, no progress can be achieved in any sector.
This was stated by Syed Murad Ali Shah, adviser on finance to the chief minister, while speaking at a post-budget press conference at the CM House on Tuesday. He was accompanied by information minister Sharjeel Memon, additional chief secretary Muhammad Arif Khan, finance secretary Sohail Ahmad Rajput and finance department officials.
He said Rs48 billion had been allocated, the second largest sum after education, in the provincial budget 2013-14 for the restoration of the peace.
He said the $2.6 billion Karachi Circular Railway project would be revived with the assistance of the Japanese government as a solution to the city’s transport problem. He said work on the KCR project would start by December and it would be completed in three to five years. Besides, for introducing ancillary projects of a rapid bus transit system, six routes had been identified.
Mr Shah said Karachi was the heart of Pakistan and the country would make headway when Karachi prospered. He dispelled the impression that Karachi development projects were being ignored and pointed out that the K-IV greater water supply project and the S-III sewerage project would cost Rs25bn and Rs13bn, respectively.
He said another priority scheme was the Thar coal power project for which Rs12bn had been allocated because a solution to the country’s energy crisis lay in the Thar coal project.
The sovereign guarantees had already been given by the federal government and it was expected that coal mining could start by the end of this year and by 2018 the project would start generating 100MW electricity.
In reply to a question, Mr Shah said the government had allocated Rs2bn in the budget to initiate its own programme on the pattern of Benazir Income Support Programme and also allocated Rs2bn for the revival of sick industries in the province which would generate employment opportunities. Similarly, 20,000 youths would be recruited in the police force, which would be equipped with modern gadgets.
In reply to a question, Mr Shah said the Sindh government's limit for an overdraft with the State Bank of Pakistan was Rs15 billion and efforts would be made to enhance the limit to Rs25bn.
He said the government was facing a financial crunch and if its position did not improve soon, the non-development expenditures, including purchase of new vehicles, would be curtailed. The government had earned Rs4 billion from its physical assets kept with a private bank.
He said that for the preservation of vaccines in the rural areas, solar-powered refrigerators would be acquired.
A sum of Rs1.6 billion had been allocated for a mobile hospitals project to provide door-to-door health facilities in the rural areas.
Earlier, the adviser highlighted the salient features of the budget with a volume of Rs617.2bn and total receipts of Rs595.5bn with a deficit of Rs21.6bn.
A sum of Rs409.01bn would be made available by the federal government under various heads while the total provincial receipts would be of Rs120bn and revenue would be Rs355.9bn, including salaries.
The current capital expenditure would be Rs31bn, the ADP would be Rs185bn and of it Rs20bn would be given to the districts for their small projects. The total development expenditures would be Rs230 billion.