PESHAWAR - Terming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget for the fiscal year 2014-15 as 'People friendly', Provincial Finance Minister Sirajul Haq said on Sunday that certain policies of the federal government are affecting developments in the-militancy hit province.
Owing to that wrong polices, the KPK has not improved. "We can't allow such policies any more", he said asking national and international stakeholders to understand the negative effects the war has left on the province. The use of fatal weapons in this part of the world has harmed our environment and its effects would remain for next 300 years, he was of the view. The KPK is terrorism-hit province and that it is the most affected region of the country, urging International powers to revisit its policies regarding this region as people are no more in a position to afforded bloodshed and war.
He said this while speaking at post budget press conference Sirajul Haq said that the present coalition government in the province had provided relief to poor masses in the budget that carry Rs139.80 billion Annual Development Program and ten percent increase in the salaries of the government employees. "We provided relief to people and making effort to spend maximums funds on welfare of masses," he said.
He said that this year the government had set a side funds for holding local bodies elections, while a major share of the budget has been allocated for education and health sectors.
Despite many challenges, the coalition government presented a balanced 'people friendly' budget mainly focusing on giving maximum relief to a common man. Moreover, he said that enhance tax net, the provincial government has focused on improving local tax-base and revenue receipts.
With a substantial increase in the ADP which is Rs.139.8billioon, he said that the budget has been divided in three- categories welfare, development, and administrative. Listing the coming targets, he said that simple and good governance, curtail in lavish expenditures, work in health and education sector on emergency basis, revival of militancy-affected economy, overcoming energy crisis, unemployment, price-hike would get topmost priorities, Sirajul Haq, who is also central Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami said.
In addition, revival of sick industries, development of small industrial units, and ensuring due rights to working and labour class, eliminating the VIPs culture and protection to minorities and their worship places are another key target of the provincial government in the next financial year, he explained.
Under the pro-poor initiative, he informed that provincial government has earmarked Rs.7.9billion, for launching various welfare programs, including health insurance, insulin for live, MNCH, BSc/MSc nursing training program, immunization program, Rokhana Pakhtunkhwa Program, Iqra Farooq-e Taleem and voucher scheme, scholarship for girls (Torghar), Stori Da pakhtunkhwa, third party validation, long-term loan for development of industries, and provincial youth technical education scheme.
Moreover, under another special relief package program, edible items on subsidized rates in the open markets would be ensured to the people of the province. Poor and deserving people would purchase flour at Rs.10 per/Kg on subsidized and ghee Rs.40 per/Kg. The government, he said, had reduced ratio of sale-tax from 16 to 15 percent on major services, aiming to encourage business community, whereas the ratio of minor services, has been decreased from 16 to 10 percent.
We have allocated Rs.7billion for energy sector, through which more than 350 small dams would be constructed. For clean and green Peshawar, he said Rs.29billioon has been allocated t complete 69 projects, Sirajul Haq concluded.