ISLAMABAD, June 6: The financial allocations for the presidency increased by 179 per cent to Rs261.61 million in the budget for 2005-06 as compared to Rs93.5 million in 1999-2000. During the year 2005-06, the government allocated Rs261.61 million for “staff household and allowances of the President” as charged expenditure. In the 1999-2000 budget, Rs93.56 million was allocated under the same head.

The documents showed that presidency’s budget shot up by Rs15 million during 2004-05 from an estimated Rs212.14 million to revised estimates of Rs227.17 million. For the year 2005-06, Rs107 million was allocated for employee-related expenditure of the presidency as compared to Rs86 million during 2004-05.

PRIME MINISTER’S SECRETARIAT: In the budget 2005-06, Rs234 million was allocated for the prime minister’s secretariat, showing an increase of 44 per cent as compared to 1999-2000. In 1999-2000, Rs162 million was allocated for the prime minister’s office.

For the financial year 2004-05, Rs226.5 million was allocated for the prime minister’s secretariat. However, the revised estimates showed that the expenses of the PM’s secretariat increased by Rs40 million in 2004-05 to Rs266.1 million.

The budgetary allocations for the PM’s secretariat were decreased by 13.7 per cent in 2005-06 to Rs234 million from the revised estimates of Rs266 million in 2004-05.

NAB: For the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the government allocated Rs752 million in 2005-06. The budget allocation for NAB in 2005-06 showed an increase of 37 per cent as compared to the original allocation of Rs467 million. In 2004-05, the NAB’s budget was revised upwards to Rs691 million.

The major increase in NAB’s budget was for employee related expenses of Rs284 million and operating expenses of Rs425 million, besides other expenses. In the previous financial year (2004-05) the employee related expenses were estimated to be Rs172 million and later revised upwards to Rs215 million. Similarly, the operating expenses of NAB increased from estimated Rs279 million to Rs409 million in 2004-05.

NRB: The National Reconstruction Bureau had its budget revised upwards to Rs79.5 million in 2005-06 from the Rs74 million allocations in 2004-05.

PM INSPECTION COMMISSION: The budget for the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission was decreased to Rs17 million in 2005-06 as compared to allocations of Rs25.8 million in 2004-05.