LAHORE: The Punjab government says the provincial budget for 2011-12 will be relief-oriented, as the finance deficit will be met by taxing the rich, finding new avenues of revenue generation and cutting the expenditure.

Punjab Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told the media on the Punjab Assembly premises on Thursday that the government would focus on relief to the common man in the budget and the elite would have to bear the burden of expenses and revenue gap.

He said the more than Rs600 billion ‘people-friendly’ budget had been prepared in the light of suggestions submitted by legislators during the pre-budget session. The annual development plan would cross the Rs200 billion mark, he said, adding that proposals from the opposition would be welcomed.

The minister said the common man would not be burdened in the budget. He said a hefty amount was going to be allocated for a self-employment scheme for the educated but unemployed youth. He told a questioner that there was no legal bar on Unification Bloc members to vote in favour of the budget.

Commenting on the unconditional support offered by Raja Riaz and Babar Awan for the approval of the budget, he said the government did not need their support, as there was no plan under consideration to take them back into the provincial cabinet. He asked the PPP to clear its position on embracing the PML-Q before accusing the PML-N of creating turncoats.

Answering a query about the fiscal deficit the province was facing, Sanaullah said it was because of rejection of the foreign aid and that the fiscal gap would be bridged by taking austerity measures and increasing the property tax ratio. He said no development or welfare project would be affected by the austerity drive.

Referring to PML-Q general secretary Mushahid Husain’s remark of Lutto Tay Phutto (plunder and flee) about the PPP government, the Punjab law minister said it was ironical that the people who had been declaring the PPP government a bunch of plunderers joined it later.

The budget session would continue from June 10 to 22.