Sindh to spend Rs30bn on rehabilitation of flood victims: Murad

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday said his government is going to spend Rs30 billion in the upcoming financial year 2024-25 on the welfare and rehabilitation of the flood victims in the province.

Shah was speaking at the post-budget press conference at the auditorium of the provincial assembly. He was flanked by Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and Planning & Development Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.

CM Shah said he has presented a pro-people budget of his government in these challenging times. He said that the new provincial budget has allocations of a total of Rs10 billion for fresh development schemes for Karachi.

He also said his provincial government would fill 75,000 job vacancies at the education department, while 50,000 personnel would be recruited for the police service.

He told the media that the Sindh government has increased the salaries of government employees more than the same increase announced by any other government in the country.

He was of the view that a new National Finance Commission Award should be announced after every five years in accordance with the constitutional requirement.

He urged the federal government to fund development projects in Sindh while considering the province a part of Pakistan. He mentioned that the volume of the provincial budget is increased every new fiscal year.

Shah said his government has allocated more funds for development projects than the same allocation of other governments in the country. He informed the journalists that 31 per cent of the new provincial budget has been allocated for development works.

He lamented that the last caretaker set-up in Sindh had stopped working on the development schemes that had been launched during the previous elected government in the province.

He said that all the ongoing uplift projects in Sindh would be completed in the upcoming financial year, adding that because of this reason the newly presented provincial budget does not contain any new development scheme.

The CM said that up to 70 per cent of the current revenue expenditures would be spent on the payment of salaries and pensions of serving and retired government staff members. He said his government is expected to receive Rs1.9 trillion from the federal government in the new financial year.

He also said his government would spend Rs170 billion on the K-IV bulk water supply project for Karachi. The federal government has committed to the provincial government that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council will grant approval for the project in one week, he added.

Answering a question, he said personnel of police and other law enforcement agencies have rendered sacrifices to improve law and order in the province. The operation against armed dacoits and other lawless elements in the province is under way, he added.

Replying to another query, the CM said he himself is not satisfied with the proposal contained in the new provincial budget that the minimum monthly wage of workers in the province should be increased to Rs37,000.

He explained to the media persons that such a decision had to be taken in view of the complaints received from concerned industrialists and other employers. He also mentioned that a committee has been formed to enhance the revenue collection capacity of the Board of Revenue.