Morpheus
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KP Assembly presents a balanced budget and better than Sindh
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Taimur Salim Jhagra Tuesday responding to criticism of opposition members in the provincial assembly on finance bill 2020-21, said that the government presented a bold budget in challenging economic circumstances.
He said that the KP finance bill 2020-21 received great acknowledgements from economists and by media observes as it was not easy for the government to present such a balanced budget when the country's economy was suffering due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Responding to oppositions' criticism, Jhagra rejected the non-utilization of Annual Development Program budget during the current fiscal year and informed that house that ADP spent in current financial year in KP is more than Sindh and Punjab.
He said that every penny received from the federal government or generated from own source by KP were utilized and funds received from the federal government for merged areas were 100 percent utilized.
Initially the spent was slow due to the process of projects preparation and approval from various forums, he said and informed that merged districts were passing through an administrative transition period still they utilized their highest ADP ever this year.
In response to the questions from opposition benches in Provincial Assembly, he said debt itself was not a bad thing if it was rightly managed and utilized, adding that the governments across the globe take loans to give a boost to development budget in hard times.
He said the KP government took very hard decisions to match the development budget to previous years budget despite economic recession.
The Minister for Finance highlighted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s debt to budget percentage is favorable and less than 2 percent thus it was for the government to seek domestic loans.
Historically all provinces in Pakistan obtains loans to finance their ADP.
In recession governments all over the world spend more on the development side providing stimulus into the economy which results in job creation and boosting of the economy.
Responding to arguments of Inayatullah regarding AGN Kazi (Agha Ghulam Nabi Kazi) formula, he said it was first time reflected in the budget document by this government in the financial year 2019-2020.
The issue existed since 1991 but never had been pursued with such determination or mentioned in the budget document by any government.
The AGN Kazi figures are not mentioned in the budget document because we are in a process of settling it once and for all by arriving at an agreed upon amount.
Responding to Inayatulah, he said CRBC is excluded from PSDP because under the PFM law of the federal govt no unapproved project should be included in the PSDP.
Since CRBC is in the approval stage based on revised feasibility study, as and when the approval process is complete, CRBC shall become part of PSDP.
Responding to Nighat Orakzai, he stated that in Sindh citizens have more faith in private sector hospitals. Private sectors are facing more burden during covid.
Whereas KP public hospitals are facing more traffic.
Hence proving that Public Sector are accommodating more patients and are doing a great job, compared to Sindh.
The Sindh Government may have increased their employee salaries but on the contrary they have not contributed a penny for the development budget of merged districts.
Responding to ANP' MPA Samar Bilour reservation raised on lapse of budget, The minister stated that if 71 percent budget had lapsed as stated by the MPA the 2019-20 budget was 900 billion it means that 630 billion was lapsed.
He totally rejected the facts stated by Samar Bilour.
The total current expenditure of the KP budget is over 71 percent, stating that if that was the case then KP would not have been paying salaries or bearing non-salary and pension expenses, he maintained.
Jhagra responding to PPP's MPA Nighat Orakzai's arguments mentioned a list of projects in the ADP for women and said that ADP has a number of projects for the welfare and empowerment of women.
He also reiterated that no female MPA has ever approached him with a project proposal for the benefit of women to be included in the ADP.
On the issue of food and flour crisis, he said KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan was leading from the front and was actively engaged with the federal government, adding that in order to address the current food crisis KP government had lifted ban on transportation of wheat and flour from Punjab to KP and all check posts had been removed, he told the House.
Referring to Nation Health Program, he said citizens would soon hear good news.
KP was receiving Rs 3 billion before COVID-19 crisis on monthly basis due to efforts of the Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, he told the House and added that in the wake of COVID pandemic the payments were delayed but soon the matter would resolve.
Earlier, ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak, PPP parliamentary leader Sher Azam, PMLN Sobia Shahid, MPA Ajmal Khan from merged district demanded of the government to give 10 percent increase in salaries and pensions of government employees.
They also criticized the government over issue of overseas Pakistanis and said government should have to take pragmatic measures for early return of struck Pakistanis.
The opposition benches recorded their protest against the government for not giving increase in salaries and pensions by observing one minute silence and displayed placards demanding returns of overseas Pakistanis.
The assembly session was presided over by Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/4000...-balanced-budget-and-better-than-sindh-jhagra
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- He said the KP government took very hard decisions to match the development budget to previous years budget despite economic recession.
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Taimur Salim Jhagra Tuesday responding to criticism of opposition members in the provincial assembly on finance bill 2020-21, said that the government presented a bold budget in challenging economic circumstances.
He said that the KP finance bill 2020-21 received great acknowledgements from economists and by media observes as it was not easy for the government to present such a balanced budget when the country's economy was suffering due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Responding to oppositions' criticism, Jhagra rejected the non-utilization of Annual Development Program budget during the current fiscal year and informed that house that ADP spent in current financial year in KP is more than Sindh and Punjab.
He said that every penny received from the federal government or generated from own source by KP were utilized and funds received from the federal government for merged areas were 100 percent utilized.
Initially the spent was slow due to the process of projects preparation and approval from various forums, he said and informed that merged districts were passing through an administrative transition period still they utilized their highest ADP ever this year.
In response to the questions from opposition benches in Provincial Assembly, he said debt itself was not a bad thing if it was rightly managed and utilized, adding that the governments across the globe take loans to give a boost to development budget in hard times.
He said the KP government took very hard decisions to match the development budget to previous years budget despite economic recession.
The Minister for Finance highlighted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s debt to budget percentage is favorable and less than 2 percent thus it was for the government to seek domestic loans.
Historically all provinces in Pakistan obtains loans to finance their ADP.
In recession governments all over the world spend more on the development side providing stimulus into the economy which results in job creation and boosting of the economy.
Responding to arguments of Inayatullah regarding AGN Kazi (Agha Ghulam Nabi Kazi) formula, he said it was first time reflected in the budget document by this government in the financial year 2019-2020.
The issue existed since 1991 but never had been pursued with such determination or mentioned in the budget document by any government.
The AGN Kazi figures are not mentioned in the budget document because we are in a process of settling it once and for all by arriving at an agreed upon amount.
Responding to Inayatulah, he said CRBC is excluded from PSDP because under the PFM law of the federal govt no unapproved project should be included in the PSDP.
Since CRBC is in the approval stage based on revised feasibility study, as and when the approval process is complete, CRBC shall become part of PSDP.
Responding to Nighat Orakzai, he stated that in Sindh citizens have more faith in private sector hospitals. Private sectors are facing more burden during covid.
Whereas KP public hospitals are facing more traffic.
Hence proving that Public Sector are accommodating more patients and are doing a great job, compared to Sindh.
The Sindh Government may have increased their employee salaries but on the contrary they have not contributed a penny for the development budget of merged districts.
Responding to ANP' MPA Samar Bilour reservation raised on lapse of budget, The minister stated that if 71 percent budget had lapsed as stated by the MPA the 2019-20 budget was 900 billion it means that 630 billion was lapsed.
He totally rejected the facts stated by Samar Bilour.
The total current expenditure of the KP budget is over 71 percent, stating that if that was the case then KP would not have been paying salaries or bearing non-salary and pension expenses, he maintained.
Jhagra responding to PPP's MPA Nighat Orakzai's arguments mentioned a list of projects in the ADP for women and said that ADP has a number of projects for the welfare and empowerment of women.
He also reiterated that no female MPA has ever approached him with a project proposal for the benefit of women to be included in the ADP.
On the issue of food and flour crisis, he said KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan was leading from the front and was actively engaged with the federal government, adding that in order to address the current food crisis KP government had lifted ban on transportation of wheat and flour from Punjab to KP and all check posts had been removed, he told the House.
Referring to Nation Health Program, he said citizens would soon hear good news.
KP was receiving Rs 3 billion before COVID-19 crisis on monthly basis due to efforts of the Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, he told the House and added that in the wake of COVID pandemic the payments were delayed but soon the matter would resolve.
Earlier, ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak, PPP parliamentary leader Sher Azam, PMLN Sobia Shahid, MPA Ajmal Khan from merged district demanded of the government to give 10 percent increase in salaries and pensions of government employees.
They also criticized the government over issue of overseas Pakistanis and said government should have to take pragmatic measures for early return of struck Pakistanis.
The opposition benches recorded their protest against the government for not giving increase in salaries and pensions by observing one minute silence and displayed placards demanding returns of overseas Pakistanis.
The assembly session was presided over by Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/4000...-balanced-budget-and-better-than-sindh-jhagra
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