Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times) : Ultimately ‘N’ led AJK Government Tuesday presented Rs. 141,400 million new fiscal year (2021~22)Tax free budget of Azad Jammu and Kashmir for the in the AJK State Legislative Assembly, met in the State Metropolis.
The budget provides the development outlay to the tune of 28,000 million rupees which shows 14 percent increase against the current financial year allocations while Non development expenditure has been estimated to 113,400 million rupees.
Presenting the budget in the house the Azad Kashmir Finance Minister Dr.Najeeb Naqi said that next financial year’s budget has been prepared after complete financial planning to project maximum financial resources for the overall development of the State. He said 66 percent of the developmental budget will be spent for the completion of 176 developmental projects while the work on 209 developmental projects would also be started during the next financial year. He announced 10 percent adhoc relief in pay and pensions of the employees while twenty five percent disparity reductions Allowance has also been proposed in the budget.
Explaining the strategy of the developmental budget he said top priority has been given to the communication sector with an allocation of 10 billion rupees which is 36 percent of the total development budget earmarked for the next financial year.
Under this sector the road infrastructure will be further improved besides completion of ongoing development Projects.
The Finance Minister said that the Power sector will receive two billion rupees and more than two hundred electricity transformers will be installed while eighteen thousand new service connections will be given to the consumers and new grid stations will also be set up in different parts of the state to provide Uninterrupted power supply to the people. The Finance Minister said that the government is giving special importance to utilize water resources to produce cheap electricity in the state. He said to achieve this objective 23 hydel power projects have been completed and electricity of one billion rupees has been produced. He said 800 million rupees would be spent during the next financial year to initiate work on new hydel power projects in different parts of Azad Kashmir.
Education sector will get 3 billion and 200 million rupees while the health sector will receive 1 billion and 750 million rupees during the next financial year. 200 Million rupees has been earmarked to control the corona pandemic in the state.
He said 720 million rupees have been set aside for the completion of foreign aided projects and 400 million rupees for the tourism sector to boost the tourism activities in the state.
The Finance Minister said the social sector will receive 22 percent, the productive sector 10 percent and the infrastructure sector will get 68 percent financial resources during the next financial year. .
He said that the Physical Planning and Housing sector will get 4 billion and 800 million rupees while 1 billion and 700 million rupees has been earmarked for Local government and rural development sector for the next financial year to complete the ongoing and new developmental projects to drop the fruits of development at the door steps of the common man.
The Finance Minister thanked the federal government for extending 28 billion rupees for the development of Azad Kashmir including the provision of two billion rupees foreign added projects despite financial crunch, He said
He said four billion rupees will also be extended by the Ministry of Kashmir affairs for the completion of ongoing development scheme launched to mitigate the suffering of the people of Indian forces firings. The Finance Minister said that Muslim league government has fulfilled all its commitments and promised made with the people according to the manifesto of the Muslim league (N) and has presented continuously fifth people friendly development oriented budget. He said soon after taking the oath of office of the Prime Minister he unveiled the three fundamental objectives of his government to establish good governance, sustainable development and liberation of occupied Kashmir. He informed the house that liberation of occupied Kashmir has been remained the top priority of our government In this connection the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir has effectively projected the Kashmir issue at international level and visited the European parliament and different European Countries to apprise the world community about the gruesome human rights violations being committed by the brute Indian forces on Kashmiri civilian and presented the documentary evidence about the Indian forces atrocities on innocent Kashmir people before the world community .The Finance Minister paid glowing tributes to the Pakistan Armed forces for offering unprecedented sacrifices and defending the motherland at the line of control.
The Finance Minister also presented before the house the revised budget estimates for the current financial year.
The Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly Shah Ghulam Qadir presided.
Earlier the Azad Kashmir Cabinet at its special meeting in the State capital on Tuesday approved the budget estimates for the next financial year 2021~22 .
Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan chaired.
