PESHAWAR, Pakistan: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Wednesday unveiled Rs 603 billion tax free budget carrying development outlay of Rs 208 billion for the year 2017-18 with major focus on elimination of corruption and development of the social sector development.
The Provincial Finance Minister Muzafar Said advocate presented the fifth budget of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led coalition government in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly with Speaker Asad Qaiser in the Chair.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government also announced 10 percent increase in salary and pension of the government employees after merger of the 2010 ad hoc relief.
The minimum wages have been enhanced from Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000. The rise in salaries and pension would burden the provincial kitty with Rs 16.50 billion
The province is expected to receive Rs 247.876 billion from the Federal Divisible Pool 2017-18, Rs 107 million as one percent share of the province in war against terror from the federal divisible pool and Rs 49.806 billion as straight transfers from the federation.
The province will get Rs 21.774 billion under head of net hydel profit and its arrears from the federal government and Rs 114.535 million as arrears of the net hydel profits.
The provincial own receipts have been pitched at Rs 68.31 billion for 2017-18. The current expenditure has been pitched at Rs 388 billion to meet the provincial expenditure to be incurred next year, he said.
The Finance Minister informed the House that the provincial government will generate Rs 126 billion from its own sources for the development programme whereas Rs 82 billion would be met through foreign donor agencies for feeding the development programmes.
Earlier a special meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the Chair approved budget proposals for financial year 2017-18.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Ministers and administrative secretaries of various departments. The cabinet meeting held deliberations over the budgetary proposals for the next fiscal year and granted approval to it before presenting it in the provincial legislature this afternoon.
