The Balochistan government presented on Monday the next fiscal year 2023-24 budget, with a total outlay of Rs750 billion rupees while the deficit stands at Rs49 billion.

“The next fiscal year budget is historic,” Balochistan Finance Minister Zamrak Khan Achakzai said while presenting the budget in the provincial assembly in Quetta.

In the new fiscal year budget, Rs437 billion have been allocated for non-development expenditures while Rs229 billion rupees have been allocated for developmental expenditures.

Achakzai announced 35 per cent increase in salaries of government employees from grade 1 to 16, while 30 per cent in the employees of grade 17 to 22. He also announced a 17.5% increase in pension.

The provincial minister added that the minimum wage has been fixed at Rs32,000 for labourers. “More than Rs65 billion have been allocated for the betterment of the health sector,” he said and announced that the irrigation sector would be given over Rs21 billion in the next budget.

Salient features of budget

• Total revenue of the province is estimated at Rs701 billion
• 4,389 new posts kept for the elimination of unemployment
• The province will receive Rs521 billion from the federal under the NFC award
• Priority has been given to the sectors of health, education, clean drinking water, and law and order
• Rs87 billion have been earmarked for the health sector
• Over Rs77 million allocated for the promotion of education
• Rs53 billion have been kept for maintaining law and order
• Rs31.60 have been allocated for a clean drinking water facility
• Gwadar has been declared a special economic zone and exempted from all provincial taxes.
• Rs170 billion have been allocated for 4,721 ongoing schemes while Rs58 billion have been allocated for 5,068 new schemes
• Termination of unnecessary checkposts for ‘restoration of people’s self-recovery’