Financial Year 2023-2024: Rs232bn AJK tax-free budget presented

MUZAFFARABAD: Senior Minister Colonel (retd) Waqar Ahmed Noor Wednesday presented over Rs232 billion tax-free budget in the AJK Legislative Assembly for the Financial Year 2023-2024 in which Rs42 billion has been allocated for the development projects.

A revised budget of worth Rs156.0947 billion for the Fiscal Year 2022-23 was also presented for approval.

To improve the economic condition of the employees, the finance minister said the government while keeping in view its resources will contemplate upon increasing the salary and pension of government employees on the pattern of the federal government employees.

Presenting the budget, Waqar said the total estimated non-development expenditure for the next financial year was Rs190.047 billion, which included Rs7.5669 billion for Services and General Administration, Rs1.672 billion for Board of Revenue, Rs0.044 billion for stamps, Rs51.300 million for land record and settlement, Rs1,992.200 million for relief and rehabilitation, Rs35 billion for pension, Rs379.300 million for public relations, Rs3.0114 billion for judiciary, Rs8.1372 billion for police, Rs0.3269 billion for jails, Rs398.600 million for civil defense, Rs100.8 million for the Armed Services Board, Rs6.2067 billion for Communication and Public Works Department, Rs40.133 billion for education, Rs17.526 billion for public health, Rs183.2 million for Sports, Youth, Culture & Transport, Rs266.2 million for religious affairs, Rs746.6 million for social welfare and women affairs, Rs1.0616 billion for agriculture, and Rs964.600 million for livestock and dairy development.

The finance minister said that Rs372.4 million had been set aside for food, Rs14.53 billion for State Trading, Rs1.7856 billion for Forests/Wildlife/Fisheries, Rs25.5 million for Cooperatives, Rs10.64 billion for Energy and Water Resources, Rs817.4 million for Local Government & Rural Development, Rs278.2 million for Industries, Labour & Minerals Resources, Rs156.million for Printing Press, Rs140.2 million for Sericulture, and Rs176.9 million for Tourism & Archaeology.

He said capital expenditure of worth Rs4 billion was also included in the budget estimates.

The total revenue estimate for the next Fiscal Year 2023-24, he said, was Rs166.45 billion which included Rs44 billion from Inland Revenue, Rs150 million from Land Record and Settlement, Stamps Rs400 million, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Transport Authority Rs65 million, Armed Services Board Rs40 million, Law and Order Rs145 million, Interior (Police) Rs240 million, Jails Rs0.8 million, Communication & Works Rs650 million, education Rs280 million, Health Rs160 million, Food Rs400 million, Agriculture Rs11 million, WildLife/Fisheries Rs75 million, Livestock & Dairy Development Rs40 million, Forests Rs1.2 billion, electricity 25 billion, Printing Press 100 million, Industries Rs45 million, Labour Rs5 million, Sericulture Rs5 million, Minerals Rs100 million, Tourism Rs12 million, Social Welfare Rs0.2 million, Religious Affairs Rs70 million, and Miscellaneous 656 million.

On development budget estimates for the FY 2023-24,the finance minister said an amount of Rs900 million had been proposed for agriculture and livestock and Rs150 million for civil defense/SDMA, Rs345 million for development institutions, Rs4.3 billion for education, Rs150 million for environment, Rs800 million for forests/watershed, Rs75 million for wildlife and fisheries, Rs3 billion for public health, Rs520 million for industry and minerals, Rs 280 million for Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, Rs1.035 billion for Governance/Miscellaneous, Rs30 million for Transport, Rs200 million for Information and Media Development, Rs800 million for Information Technology, Rs3.7 billion for Local Government and Rural Development, Rs2.465 billion for physical planning and housing, Rs4.3 billion for energy and water resources, Rs2.4 billion for research and development, and Rs550 million for land administration and management.