QUETTA - Balochistan Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved provincial budget for fiscal year 2013-14.
Speaker Jan Muhammad Jamali chaired the meeting of Balochistan Assembly. Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, who holds the portfolio of finance minister, presented 51 demands of grant to the tune of more than Rs161 billion, in which non development expenditure were estimated around Rs117 billion while the development expenditure were estimated Rs1.43 billion.
No cut motion was moved in the house due to which the approval was made unanimously in a quick span of time.
Under the head of general administration Rs12.47 billion, for excise more than Rs420 million, for pensions Rs8.50 billion, for administration of justice Rs1.5 billion, for prosecution more than Rs150 million, for Balochistan police Rs7.17 billion, for Balochistan Constabulary Rs2.34 billion and for Levies Rs4.24 billion were approved.
Opposition Leader in Balochistan Assembly Maulana Abdul Wasay said that he had already made it clear that he wanted to play a constructive opposition role and would not create uncalled obstructions for the government.
“But wherever we find mismanagement, we would raise voice against it,” said Maulana Wasey talking to the media after the approval of the budget.
He said: “The financial demands were presented and the budget for them was also approved. We had expressed reservations on it on the very first day, however, a committee of the government came to us and ensured us that the government would redress our reservations. Now it depends on the team of CM to remove the budget flaws.”
He said that during their meeting with the committee of the government not only did they point out the loopholes of the budget but also made it clear to the committee that ‘lock allocation’ was equal to darkness in the budget, adding that the budget allocated for the various schemes in Balochistan were meagre.
Maulana Wasey said they would try to bring fullest transparency in the budget and if the government did not deliver on its promises, they would raise voice against it.
To a question, he said that he had talked about secrete fund of the CM on the basis of information, however, he had not declared that act illegal as it was the right of the CM to withdraw money from secrete fund.