LAHORE: After approval by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led (PML-N) Punjab government, the supplementary budget was presented in the Punjab Assembly on Monday with a total outlay of Rs856 million.
Earlier, a meeting of the provincial cabinet chaired Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved the supplementary budget and revised estimates for the financial year (FY) 2017-18.
The meeting also approved revised annual development programme 2017-18, along with the minutes of the 31st meeting of the Punjab Cabinet and the decision of the 55th meeting of Cabinet’s Standing Committee on Finance and Development.
Punjab Finance Minister Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha, while presenting the budget, said that the next budget will be presented by the incoming government.
The feats achieved in many sectors including health, education, development, in comparison to other provinces, were exemplary, said the finance minister. She stated that the incumbent Punjab government had laid a network of roads, ended the power crisis in the province, and thousands were provided employment by way of development projects such as the Orange Line and Metro Bus projects.
According to her, the provincial government had executed a record number of development projects in the past five years.
Meanwhile, members of the opposition tore copies of the budget and created a ruckus in the house.
Earlier, the Punjab government was indecisive between presenting the budget for the first three months of FY2018-19 or restrain itself.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had said that the government would present the budget only if other provinces did so, while Finance Minister Ayesha Ghous Pasha said that the government prepared the budget for the complete year but decided not to present it.
