AJK govt presents over Rs220bn budget

MUZAFFARABAD: Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Tuesday unveiled its more than Rs220 billion estimated budget for the financial year 2024-25 with a development outlay of Rs44 billion.

The budget estimates of the development expenditure for the next fiscal year 2024-25 stand at Rs44 billion against the budget estimates of Rs25.835 billion this year. This includes Rs14.9 billion earmarked for Communication & Works. In his budget speech the Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan said that the government has estimated total income worth Rs201.17 billion, whereas total development expenditure for the financial year 2024-25 has been estimated at Rs44 billion.

Presenting the details of the budget, the minister said that total receipts were estimated at Rs 201.17-billion of which Rs105 billion will be collected from the federal government under the head of federal variable grant.

He said that revenue worth Rs75 billion would be collected through Inland Revenue, Rs15 billion from electricity, 0.45 billion through Forest Department, whereas a revenue of more than Rs20 billion would be collected from other sources that included the AJK Transport Authority, Armed Services Board, Law and Order (Administration of Justice), Police (Interior) Prisons, Communication and Roads Education, Health, Food, Agriculture, Wildlife/Fisheries, Livestock and Dairy Development, Printing Press, Industries Silk, Minerals, Tourism and other sources.

The finance minister said that total expenditure for the financial year 2024-25 was estimated at Rs220.033 billion. The government, he said, has allocated 0.9 billion for Agriculture and Livestock, Rs0.15-billion for Civil Defence & SDMA, Rs0.345 billion for Development Authorities, Rs4.8 billion for Education, Rs0.15 billion for Environment, Rs0.8 billion for Forestry/Watershed, Rs0.075 billion for Fisheries/Wildlife, Rs3 billion for Health, Rs0.52 billion for Industries/Minerals, Rs0.28 billion for AJK TEVTA, Rs2.035 billion for Governance/Miscellaneous, Rs0.03 billion for Transport, Rs0.2 billion for Information & Media Dev. And Rs0.8 billion for Information Technology.

He said that an estimated budget of Rs3.7 billion have been allocated for Local Government and Rural Development, Rs2.465 billion for Physical Planning & Housing and Rs4.8 billion for Energy and Water Resources.

The minister further informed the House that Rs1.4 billion have been earmarked for Research & Development, Rs1.15 billion for Land Administration & Management, Rs0.3 billion for Social Welfare & Women Dev., Rs0.5 billion for Sports, Youth & Culture, Rs0.7 billion for Tourism and Rs14.9 billion for Communication & Works. About department-wise expenditure estimates that amounts to Rs216.033 billion excluding the capital expenditure of Rs4 billion, the minister further said that expenses worth Rs7.868 billion have been estimated for General Administration, Rs1.814 billion for Board of Revenue, Rs2.0065 billion for Relief & Rehabilitation, Rs43.14 billion for Pension, Rs43.687 billion for Education, Rs14.95 billion for Health, Rs41.626 billion for State Trading, Rs9.8456 billion for Home (Police), Rs6.0062 billion for Communication & Works, Rs10.8133 billion for Energy and Water Resources and Rs21.56249 billion for Miscellaneous (Grants).