Mansoor Khan and SYED JAFAR ASKARI
KARACHI - The provincial budget was presented by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who allocated Rs 54.08 billion for the law & order in the next financial year of 2014-15 and also assured to create vacancies of at least 12,000 jobs in Police Department including 2,000 retired Army personnel in Police Department.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah in his speech said that the budget for law-enforcement agencies will increase by 20 per cent from outgoing years Rs 44.86 to Rs 54.08 billion in the next year. It is worth mentioning here that at least 130741 people have been associated with the Police Department across the province and Sindh government have to pay Rs 44.6 billion for their salary expense. Interestingly, such a worsening law and order situation is prevailing in the province while only Rs 9.4 billion has been earmarked for the development projects for the police force.
On the other side, federal government have had announced to allocate Rs 7 billion to maintain prevailing law and order situation. Only 330.7 million rupees have been earmarked for new schemes involving police and other security agencies which fall under the Sindh government.
A major chunk involving around Rs 1.2 billion is being spent on the schemes announced in the previous years.
This year the government intends to spend Rs 752 million on police while Rs 695 million on jails. Interestingly, the government will also spend Rs 135 million on Information Technology related schemes for jails.
Chief Minister stated decline in crimes including 65 per cent in target killing, 35 per cent in murders and 12 per cent in kidnapping for ransom.
He also said that Police Department has sacrificed the lives of 117 policemen since the day of operation began.
He said that an outside budget has also been allocated of Rs 6.238 billion, including Rs 5.0 billion for police only. The said allocation of the fund is for procurement of vehicles, arms and ammunition, bullet proof jackets and helmets and other essential stuff.
Additionally Sindh Government allocated Rs 254 million for computerised arms licences and Rs 1.5 billion for prisons. Interestingly, the government will also spend Rs 135 million on Information Technology related schemes for the jails.
The Information Technology budget includes the improvement and security system and installation of CCTV equipments in jails across the province including special prison NARA Hyderabad, Sukkur, Dadu and others.
Money will also be spent in improving the security system at Central Jail, Karachi, juvenile and Malir and others.
Sindh Government allocated total sum of Rs 3.165 billion for other Civil Armed Forces including Pakistan Rangers deployed in Sindh and Frontier Constabulary, while Rs 60.339 million has been allocated for Bomb Disposal Squad Sindh in next fiscal year. The Sindh government has allocated a huge allocation of Rs 2.222 billion for the Federal force Pakistan Rangers in the next fiscal year.
It may be noted that the provincial government had allocated Rs 1.343 billion for Rangers in outgoing fiscal year 2013-14, while the budget expenditure of the federal force swelled to Rs 2.269 billion, which owing of the ongoing targeted operation in the City. The Sindh government has enhanced the budget to Rs 942.726 million for another Federal force-Frontier Constabulary in the next fiscal year 2014-15, which is higher than Rs 800 million revised allocations of outgoing FY 2013-14.
In his budget speech, Qaim Ali Shah said that crimes and Terrorism would be the major challenge for the province. He announced 12,000 new posts to address the shortage of police personnel in the province.  Provincial government has allocated Rs 230.328 million for Welfare Branch of Sindh police Karachi, besides a sum of Rs 81.309 million has been allocated for hospital services of Sindh police in the next fiscal year’s budget.
RS 17B FOR HEALTH BUDGET
Sindh Government has marked down as many as Rs 13.2 billion in the ADP 2014-15 on account for development budget of Sindh Health Department with a claim that the health sector is being given a very healthy allocation of funds.
The current revenue budget for health is being increased by 20 per cent as we are now allocating Rs 43.583 billion for this sector.  According to the claim of the provincial government, a pace of ongoing projects will be increased whereas 84 new initiatives will also start.
The key projects include: setup of new OPD Complex at Civil Hospital Karachi at cost of Rs.6.2 billion; setup of 500 bedded Teaching Hospital at LUMHS Jamshoro; construction of 400 Bedded Hospital at NIPA Chowrangi Karachi at cost of Rs 1.7 billion; establishment of Cardiology Hospital, Paeds Hospital and Kidney Centre at Hyderabad; setup of Liver Transplant Unit (SIUT) at Karachi; setting up of SIUT complex at Sukkur; formation of rescue Ambulatory Services including call centre in all Districts of Sindh with a cost of Rs 1.5 billion.
A total of Rs.1.65 billion has been allocated for various schemes on preventive health care such as Hepatitis Control, EPI etc.  Completion of major schemes of up-gradation of DHQ Hospitals and up-gradation of 39 THQ Hospitals to the level of DHQ Hospital in Sindh. Some development schemes under the Foreign Project Assistance include: establishment of Child Health Care Institute at Sukkur with Korean Loan of $46 million; construction of 133 bed Jacobabad Institute of Medical Science (JIMS) with USAID grant Nutrition Support Programme in nine districts of Sindh with IDA loan of Rs.3.96 billion.  The non-salary budget is increased by a substantial 32 per cent; which will now constitute 47 per cent of the total current budget for health. The budget for purchase of drugs and medicines is increased by 35 per cent, for other medical supplies by 166 per cent, for maintenance and repair of major hospitals by 600 per cent and for POL for generators of hospitals by 70 per cent.
The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant (SIUT), which is provided excellent free of cost medical facilities to patients from all over the country, will continue to receive a grant of Rs 2 billion from the provincial government. The Indus Hospital, another excellent health facility providing free medical services to citizens, will get a grant of Rs 300 million.
We also assisted this excellent hospital by providing it land free of cost. The grants have also being kept for the Dialysis and Thalassemia centers operating in various districts of Sindh.