KARACHI  - The Sindh annual budget for fiscal 2012-13 with a total outlay of Rs 577.98 billion and receipts projected at Rs 570.82 and a deficit of Rs 7.16 billion was aimed at creating maximum space for development programme.This was stated by the Sindh Minister for Finance, Syed Murad Ali Shah. Addressing a post-budget press conference at the CM House here on Tuesday, he pointed out that the total development programme is of Rs 231 billion and of this Rs 181 would be generated from our own resources and Rs 50.7 billion would be in the shape for foreign assistance and federal grant.He said that the government of Pakistan Peoples Party always came up to the expectations of the masses. Murad Ali Shah said that it is our success that in the four years the government has focused to reduce the non-development expenditure. He stated that the development fund has thus enhanced to the tune of 40 percent. The minister said that another feature of the budget is that the increases are in the social sector and that the allocation for the education sector is about Rs 112 billion which is 20 percent and it is six times more than that in the year 2007 in the previous government.He further pointed out that the growth in the sphere of education has doubled.Murad Ali Shah said that the present government accords top priority to education. He informed that the total allocation for the health sector was Rs 49.52 billion. The Minister said that the allocation for the energy sector was to the tune of Rs 18 billion and of this Rs 13.5 billion would be for the infrastructure at the Thar. He informed that in July-August the work on development projects at Thar would commence in a big way.Murad Ali Shah said that the electricity that would be generated at Thar would be used in the province as well as for the rest of the country.He said that in the budget there is a 20 percent increase in the salaries of the government employees and a similar enhancement for the pensioners.The minister said that the Sindh Revenue Board would meet its target of Rs 25 billion.He stated that there would be a special package for Sanghar and the amount for this would be announced by the Chief Minister of sindh himself.Murad was of the view that there was no SBP overdraft as far as the government of Sindh is concerned. He informed that in the 2010-11 floods a sum of Rs 50 billion was spent towards the provision of relief to the affectees.The minister said that a sum of Rs one billion has been allocated for proposed Zulfikarabad project which would unleash a development process.He said that K-IV water supply project for Karachi and S-III sewerage project are important ones and that there would be no delay in their implementation.Murad Ali Shah said that by next season there will be an increase of 250,000 ton for storage of what in the province.He said that the Chief Minister accords priority to the law and order in the province and keeps a check and a sum of Rs 39 billion has been allocated for meeting the requirements in this regard. Sindh Senior Education and Literacy Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri and representatives of the coalition partners were also present on the occasion.