Lahore: In the Punjab Assembly, the one-month budget of the province was approved amid the opposition’s nods, on this occasion, the opposition members raised slogans in the House.
The session of the Provincial Assembly began under the chairmanship of Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan, in which the provincial budget bill of 1 was presented by Maryam Aurangzeb. The one-month running expenditure estimate presented in the Punjab Assembly is worth Rs 358 billion, which is for March 1 to 31.
Punjab’s budget of more than 358 billion 94 crores per month includes development and non-development expenditure, while a major part of the budget for March is allocated for salaries and pensions of government employees. Apart from this, funds have also been allocated for the necessary payments of the ongoing development schemes.
After Maryam Aurangzeb moved a motion in the House for approval of one month’s ongoing expenses, the Speaker gave the floor to Opposition Leader Rana Aftab, to which he objected to the expenses motion. On this occasion, the opposition and government members kept shouting slogans, while the government member Khawaja Imran Nazir and the opposition member Nadeem Qureshi also clashed.
Opposition leader Nadeem Qureshi said that the speaker has listened to you in the opposition for 4 and a half years, now listen to us, however, the government approved the motion for one month’s expenses of the province.
Opposition leader Rana Aftab while speaking in the House said that Mr. Speaker, why is there a need for a budget of more than 358 billion? The supplementary budget must be discussed. Details of the budget to be presented for approval were not provided. There are no details of the budget released to which departments. So much is going into salaries, we should know.
He further said that Mr. Speaker, who can present the budget? I object that the honorable member cannot present the budget. The Finance Minister or the Chief Minister can move the budget in the House. In the haste with which the meeting was called, many of our members could not arrive.
During the meeting, Maryam Aurangzeb said that the salaries of government employees have to be paid with an amount of 358 billion rupees. Medicines and electricity bills have to be paid in hospitals. Salaries of judges should be paid. They are not doing any work secretly. I will request the Speaker to present all the details in the House.
Later, amid objections and sloganeering by the opposition, the one-month budget estimate of the province was approved in the Punjab Assembly, after which the Speaker adjourned the meeting indefinitely.
It should be noted that the provincial government has also started preparing the budget for 3 months. According to the sources of the finance department, the budget of 3 months from April to June will be presented by the finance minister of Punjab.
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