LAHORE, Pakistan: The Punjab Finance Minister Dr Ayesha Ghous Pasha on Friday presented Rs 1970.70 billion budget proposals, the largest in the history of the province, for the fiscal year 2017-18.
While presenting the budget speech at the Punjab Assembly in Lahore with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan in the Chair, Dr Ayesha Ghousa Pasha said that despite all difficulties, a balanced budget has been presented in the House.
The Punjab finance minister said that the province is expecting an income of Rs 1,154 billion from the federal government, and there is an estimate of provincial revenue of Rs 348 billion.
The minister said that the budget for the next fiscal year has the largest development programme amounting to Rs 635 billion, adding that it was unprecedented in the Country’s history among all provinces. She said the development budget is 15 percent more than the current fiscal year.
Dr Ayesha said that 59 percent of total budget has been allocated for education, health, agriculture, law and order and local governments, and Rs 1,017 billion have been allocated for these sectors.
The provincial finance minister proposed 10 percent raise in the salaries of the Punjab government employees and pensions. She said the minimum monthly wages of laborers and industrial workers will now be Rs 15,000.
