KP Govt Presents Rs. 1.32 Trillion Budget for FY2022-23

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister, Taimur Saleem Jhagra, presented a budget worth Rs. 1.332 trillion for the financial year 2022-23 in the provincial assembly on Monday. Presenting the annual provincial budget in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly session, Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was a province prone to terrorism, but now it has become a hub of investment.   He said that the budget has been set at Rs. 1,332 billion, whereas the expenditure of the settled districts has been estimated at Rs. 223 billion. He further said that the tax revenue of the federation has been estimated at Rs. 570.90 billion while Rs. 31 billion will be received from the federation in terms of oil and gas royalty. In addition, grants worth Rs. 208 billion are also expected to be received for the tribal districts. The provincial finance minister said that Rs. 68.60 billion would be provided for the war on terror while Rs. 85 billion would be collected for provincial taxes. Apart from this, foreign aid of Rs. 93 billion was also included in the budget. He also announced an increase in the salaries and pensions of government employees by 16 and 15 percent, respectively. Taimur Saleem Jhagra added that a 15 percent ad hoc relief allowance for government employees is included in the budget, and the ad hoc relief allowance is in addition to Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA). He further stated that Police Martyrs Package has been increased. Police Martyrs Package from Grade 6 to 16 has been increased, while the Risk Allowance of Police Officers from Grade 7 to 16 has been increased in line with DRA. The provincial minister said that the health budget has been increased by Rs. 55 billion compared to last year. He said that last year 800,000 people were treated through health cards, and this year, the budget for the health card has been kept at Rs. 25 billion, and treatment of 5 more diseases, including liver transplants, is being included in the health card. In addition, Rs. 10 billion has been earmarked in the budget for the provision of free medicines.