ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The democratic government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is all set to present its fourth Federal Budget with an outlay of over Rs 4.8 trillion for Fiscal Year 2016-17 before the Parliament on June 3 (Friday).
A special budget session of the parliament (National Assembly and Senate) has already been summoned by President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain.
Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar would lay budget proposals for the Financial Year 2016-17 for the fourth time in the house, official sources said here on Monday.
They said that these budget proposals would first be presented for approval before the Federal Cabinet in its special session.
The upcoming national budget envisages revival of economy, further improving economic growth, overcoming challenges at economic front particularly resolving the energy crisis, maintain fiscal discipline and reducing non-development expenditures and providing relief to the masses besides promoting investment for job creation and people friendly polices for the socio economic prosperity of the country.
In this years budget focus would be made on development of energy, infrastructure and human resources sectors.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects would be prioritized to make the project operationalized as soon as possible.
The budget speech of the Finance Minister would be broadcast and telecast live from the Parliament House on the Friday afternoon.
“Overcoming the energy crisis, stabilization of economy, cutting down the non-development expenditures, enhancing productivity through new growth strategies, further reducing fiscal deficit and inflation, enhancing revenue collection and welfare of the people would be featured as priorities in the upcoming budget,” the sources added.
The Budget is likely to enhance allocations for social safety net for providing maximum relief to vulnerable segment of the society.
It would also focus on social sector development and revenue enhancement measures, besides reforms would also be introduced for improving governance and boosting private sector investment for the prosperity of the country.
The National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif through video link from London approved Rs 1.675 trillion development outlay including Rs 800 billion as federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and Rs 875 billion as provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP).
The NEC was informed that 4.71 growth rate was achieved during the outgoing fiscal year (2015-16), which is the highest growth of last 8 years while other economic indicators have shown a marked improvement in the fiscal year 2015-16.
Source: APP