KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah will present around Rs275 billion budget for financial year 2008-09 in Sindh Assembly today. The Sindh Chief Minister will present budget for FY2008-09 in the special budget session of Sindh Assembly to be started on Monday evening. While formal approval of next budget would be given in a special cabinet meeting to be held today at 2:30 pm at new Sindh Secretariat. Out of total budget outlay of above Rs275 billion, the Sindh government will get Rs168 billion share in federal transfers in terms of NFC award divisible pool/revenue assignment, straight transfers, share in 2.5 percent GST and subvention pool. The overall annual developmental programme for next fiscal 2008-09 includes foreign and federal funded schemes involving over Rs70 billion, official confirmed. Sources in finance department told The Nation that annual development programme of provincial government would be around Rs65 billion. Besides, foreign funded development schemes of Asian Development Bank, Japanese grants and other international donors expected to be over Rs5 billion, would be out of provincial development programme, sources said, adding that some federal funded development schemes would also be counted in the over all Sindh development programme. The Sindh government is neither expected to impose new taxes in the budget nor raise the rates of prevailing taxes in upcoming budget. Following the steps of federal government, the Sindh government would also make 20 percent increase in salaries and pensions of employees of provincial and district governments in annual budget which will result big impact of Rs 4 billion in terms of finance, officials said. According to salient features of the budget, PPP led Sindh government involving the cost of Rs4 billion would initiate Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme aiming to give training for enhancement of skill development to more than 1000000 educated youths of the province. Under Benazir Programme, the stipends of Rs6000 to Rs4000 would be given to educated youths who get training, sources said, observing that the objective of this programme was to provide opportunities to educated youths of the province for making them capable to get better jobs in private and government sectors. In the upcoming budget, the Sindh government would also unveil plan to provide jobs to 40,000 people on merit, official said and added that presently 42,000 posts of grade one to 20 were lying vacant which will be filled. It may be mentioned here that previous PML-Q led Dr Arbab Rahim government had also announced to give 42,000 jobs but it did not happen due to differences between the coalition government. Out of total 42,000 vacant posts, at least 23,000 posts were vacant in education department, 15,000 in home/police department, 6000 in health department, etc. Presently, the process of providing jobs in lower cadres is going on in education and health departments, sources said, adding that at least 10,000 to 15,000 vacancies of lower cadres have been filled so far. The provincial government is likely to earmark around Rs4 billion for new SNEs including newly created posts. According to sources, in the budget of next fiscal, the provincial government with the financial assistance of federal government would announce the low cost housing schemes in the province. Besides, the provincial government is likely to announce relief package for agriculture sector aiming to provide cheaper electricity to scarp tube wells, official said and added that it was expected that the government would give subsidy of these scarp tube wells as being given in Balochistan. It also expected that a handsome financial package or a package of equal salaries in line with Punjab would be announced for police personnel of Sindh. A handsome increase in the developmental as well as revenue budget of education and health departments are expected in the upcoming budget, sources said and added, around Rs4.5 billion would be earmarked for education department and Rs2.5 billion for health department. Sources said Rs21 billion would be earmarked for law and order in annual budget of next fiscal.