KP Assembly To Pass Caretaker Govt's Budget To Fulfill Constitutional Responsibility: Minister

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Aftab Alam on Wednesday told the provincial assembly that they were passing the caretaker government's budget for the year 2023-24

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th May, 2024) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Aftab Alam on Wednesday told the provincial assembly that they were passing the caretaker government's budget for the year 2023-24.

Winding up debate on the budget, he said that the caretaker government remained in power for 13 months and hired over 2700 employees which was not its mandate.

Answering to the critcism of opposition benches, Aftab Alam said they had passed the caretaker government's four months budget despite reservation to fulfill their constitutional responsibility.

He said that if the assembly did not exist then the government could pass review budget under Article-126 of the Constitution.

Aftab Alam said the Federal Government should provide its net hydel profit of over Rs 25 billion.

He said at present the KP had 14 percent share in the National Finance Commission Award, which could be increased to 19 percent in the new one.

Alam also urged the Federal Government to provide the development fund of merged districts to the KP government.

Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Ihsanullah said that people in his constituency were forced to migrate due to lack of water.

He said the provincial government should have allocated Rs 126 billion for the health card instead of only Rs 26 billion to provide health facilities to the people.

However, there should be a check and balance on the use of health card as the poor were not fully benefitted from the scheme, he added.

He claimed that billions of rupees were going into the pockets of owners of private hospitals and doctors.

JUI-F's Sajjad Khan alleged that the people of Kohistan had been deprived of any development work by the provincial government.

He complained that no development scheme had been launched his district during the last ten years of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf backed government. There were no roads in some areas.

He demanded that a special development package should be announced in the upcoming budget for three districts of Kohistan.

Pakistan Muslim League-N MPA Jalal Khan, Ayesha Bano, Nilofar, Umer Ayub, Makhdoom Aftab, Zahid Chanzeb, Riaz Khan, Rajab Ali Abbasi, also took part in the on budget debate.

Later, the Speaker adjourned the session till May 16.