Salaries, pensions raised by 10pc

 

QUETTA: A tax-free budget for the next financial year 2014-15, with a record outlay of Rs215.71 billion, was presented in the Balochistan assembly on Thursday.
The provincial budget showed a total deficit of over Rs15.66 billion.Adviser to Chief Minister for Finance Mir Khalid Lango presented the budget, which is the second of the present coalition government led by Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. Speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali chaired the budget session.A ten percent increase in the salaries of government employees as well as in the head of pensions of retired employees has been made in the budget.

Delivering the budget speech, Mir Khalid Lango said that the new budget includes Rs50.741 billion of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and Rs164.971 billion for non-development expenditure.

The federal direct receipts to the province in the budget are estimated at over Rs141 billion with Rs39 million to be received through other heads.Balochistan will collect income of Rs8.97 billion from its own resources, he added. The budget deficit, Lango said, would be met through strict savings and austerity measures to be adopted by the government to cut down its expenditure.

Mir Khalid Lango said that over Rs17 billion have been allocated in the budget for the maintenance of law and order. Similarly, he said, over Rs28 billion have been allocated for the education sector and over 14 billion have been earmarked for the health sector.

In the new fiscal budget, 3,925 new vacancies would be created in order to resolve the issue of unemployment, he announced.Lango also mentioned certain measures proposed for the uplift of different sectors in the province, including livestock, agriculture, industries, irrigation, the roads sector and sports.

He said that establishment of the Balochistan Revenue Authority has been proposed while the Balochistan Mineral Board would also be established during the next financial year.He said the provincial government would do everything possible to provide necessary relief to the masses.

He said an educated, self-sufficient and prosperous Balochistan is the provincial government’s dream.Earlier, the provincial cabinet headed by Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch approved the budget for the fiscal year 2014-15.

APP adds: Mir Khalid Lango said Rs1 billion funds have been earmarked in the new fiscal budget for the execution of solar home systems to provide electricity to 300 villages, adding that such projects after implementation would help in meeting the energy requirements.

He said the Balochistan budget for 2014-15 includes Rs2.723 billion in foreign aid.Referring to the water issue, he said that an amount of Rs400 million was allocated for the installation of a solar energy system to supply electricity to water supply schemes.

He said Rs200 million have been allocated for repairing and renovating schools damaged in the earthquake in Awaran district. He said Rs50 million have been allocated for the repair and renovation of the Quaid-i-Azam Residency in Ziarat that was damaged and burnt down in a terrorist attack.

Mir Lango said the Public Accounts Committee of the Balochistan Assembly would be set up with immediate effect and there would be a ban on spending government funds for medical treatment in foreign countries and reception ceremonies in hotels on government expense. He added that a complete ban has been imposed on the purchase of luxury vehicles for government departments.

10pc increase in salaries, pensions

ISLAMABAD: The government announced a 10 percent raise in the salaries and pensions of government employees, dashing hopes of any meaningful relief to the low-grade employees and pensioners. In its first budget last year, the PML-N government did not raise the salaries of government employees but gave a 10 percent raise to pensioners.The raise in salaries and pensions will have an impact of around Rs45 billion on the national exchequer.

The minimum wage of workers has also been increased from Rs10,000 to Rs11,000. The minimum pension has been increased from Rs5,000 to Rs6,000.Medical allowance of employees of Grade 1 to 15 has been increased by Rs100 while 5 percent increase has allowed in the conveyance allowances to those employees working in Grade 1 to 15. The post of superintendent has been upgraded from grade 16 to grade 17.One premature increment will be allowed to employees of Grade 1 to 4.

Dar hints at 10 percent raise in salaries

 

ISLAMABAD: Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday that the government was considering increasing employees’ salaries by ten percent in the upcoming budget.
According to a private news channel, the finance minister said the PML-N government had also decided to continue the BISP and a sufficient amount would be allocated for the programme.

A meeting of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC), held with Ishaq Dar in the chair, discussed all aspects of the national economy. The economic Advisory Council recommended various measures to bring about an improvement to different sectors of the economy.

The sub-group on energy presented its proposals related to the oil and gas sector with the aim of achieving lower cost of energy and to become self-sufficient in national needs.

The sub-group on industry and trade recommended diversification of the export base, moving away from the prime focus on textiles and rice and for promoting a non-agriculture based export industry. The sub-group on food security recommended establishment of a special task force on social safety nets.

The sub-groups on resource mobilisation and expenditure management and the social sector also submitted their recommendations to the council.

Speaking on the occasion, the finance minister said the social safety net was an area of priority for the government.

He said that 50 percent of the country’s population was living below the poverty line.

No increase in salaries, pensions, Dar tells NA

 

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar reiterated on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday that the $1.5 billion which Pakistan had received was a gift from a friendly country with no economic or political strings attached and it should not be viewed with suspicion.
“It is a gift to Pakistan and the Pakistani people by a friendly country, as was given in 1998 when $2 billion of free oil was given after restrictions were imposed on us for conducting nuclear tests, which were carried out by the Nawaz Sharif government,” Ishaq Dar, while making a policy statement and responding to points of order in the National Assembly, said.

He maintained that he was giving this statement on behalf of the prime minister and the PML-N government with complete responsibility that the armed forces would not be sent to any country for any kind of cooperation. “I can say this with complete responsibility on behalf of the prime minister and the PML-N government that neither are we sending troops to any country nor Pakistan will supply arms and ammunition to any country as the army would not be used against the country’s interests,” Ishaq Dar said adding Pakistan had a clear a foreign policy in this regard.

He told the house that neither did the $1.5 billion come to Pakistan in a hidden way nor had it begged for the same. “The country’s bank received two instalments of $750 million each on February 19 and March 7,” the finance minister said.

He also maintained that the increase in salaries and pensions in the budget for fiscal year 2014-15 was not under consideration.The opposition members, including the PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar, PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi, MQM’s Farooq Sattar and PkMAP’s Mehmood Khan Achakzai, following the statement given by the finance minister, looked somewhat satisfied saying Pakistan should stay away from any proxy war.

“Instead of getting involved in any proxy war, Pakistan should improve relations with neighbouring countries,” Achakzai said.Naveed Qamar, however, spoke some harsh words saying the so-called gift had been given by Saudi Arabia. He said those who talked about breaking the begging bowl had been trying to fool the masses.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that a categorical statement should come from the prime minister or defence minister that there were no strings attached to the $1.5 billion.Farooq Sattar was of the view that no country could give $1.5 billion as a gift without any conditions. “If your diplomacy is good, why did you not get even one-third of this gifted money from Iran,” he asked.

The finance minister advised the opposition members to be careful while talking on such issues or the friends of Pakistan would be hurt.He said that the gifted money from the friendly country would be kept in the Pakistan Development Fund (PDF) and would be spent on uplift of infrastructure like roads and railways in the next four years.

While talking about the planned uplift and development of infrastructure, Senator Dar particularly mentioned the extension of the motorway up to Karachi saying it would cost Rs800 billion. “It is the dream of the prime minister to extend the motorway to Karachi,” he said.

The finance minister told the house that it was due to the government’s policies that Pakistan would float the Euro Bond in the international market in the first week of next month, keeping in view the confidence expressed by the foreign investors, and expressed the confidence that the exercise would help in garnering $500 million.

He said when the present government took over, the economic indicators were a matterof concern for it saying the fiscal deficit was 8.8 percent while the tax to GDP growth rate was just 8.5 percent.

He said that he was also ready to give details of the measures taken to strengthen the national economy. For this purpose, he said the government had to take some painful decisions but the tax collection had also increased by 17 percent.

Regarding the increase in electricity tariff for the month of March, he said it had to be done on account of fuel adjustment charges.At the same time, he pointed out that the government would have to pay subsidy between Rs250 to Rs270 billion to consumers using electricity up to 200 units. “So far we have paid Rs167 billion subsidy to such consumers,” he said.