Karachi:
Sindh -chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, concluding the budgetary debate, qualified the opposition’s tumult during the Sindh Assembly session as fault. He declared that the rules of the assembly had not been respected during the budgetary session, the opposition behaved inappropriately and tried to disturb its budgetary discourse.
He said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has a clear majority in the house and can pass the budget, but they still want to take everyone.
The CM said that the Sindh government provides public services in each sector. He said that this time, 135 members had given discourse on the budget and more than 42 hours had been allocated to the debate, which reflects the democratic process.
By comparing the development budgets of other provinces, said Murad, Sindh’s development budget is 30% of the total, which is more than that of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balutchistan.
He revealed that at the beginning of the year, the federal government had promised to give Sindh RS1.9 Billions of rupees, but after the budget, this amount was reduced to Rs1,796 Billions, which he called unfair. He mentioned that the Sindh has collected taxes at a higher rate than the federal government.
Speaking about agriculture, the CM has raised objections to federal policies concerning agricultural taxes, saying that bad decisions have led to the need to import wheat. He said that Sindh set an 8 billion rupee target from agricultural income tax for the next fiscal year.
He has listed several initiatives linked to education, health, support for disabled people, autism centers and youth development centers. He also mentioned projects such as the Sich Child Emergency Network, a new IUT in Larkana, new ambulances and a program to support peaches.
Murad has announced an increase of 10 to 12% of the wages of government employees and an 8% increase in pensions. He also declared the abolition of professional and entertainment taxes and tax reductions on vehicles.
Media refutation reports that Karachi is ignored, he underlined mega projects worth 12 billion rupees for the city.
In conclusion, the CM said that if God and his party wanted him, he was ready to remain chief minister for 18 years.
Opposition chief Ali Khurshidi, during his speech on the budget, strongly criticized the 17 -year -old rule of the PPP. He said that the increase in party seats was not due to performance but due to other factors, as public problems have worsened instead of being resolved. He called for the cancellation of failed and delayed projects, saying that the former regimes are a burden for the ADP.
Khurshidi underlined the lack of basic installations in Karachi and poor management of solid waste. He said that Karachi generates income, but that the city does not receive its share of maturity. He also criticized the federal government, declaring that the legitimate share of Sindh is retained.
He also criticized the government on the water crisis, meager allowances for police personnel and questions related to K-electrical. Khursshidi said the mayor of Karachi was full of management, but the problems are not solved.
The session was adjourned until 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
