The Punjab caretaker cabinet Monday approved the interim budget for the next four months from November 2023 to February 2024.
In a meeting, chaired by Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Lahore, a budget worth Rs2.08 trillion received the interim cabinet's green signal, just two months prior to the general elections expected in the last week of January next year.
The Punjab interim cabinet's approval comes a day before the last quarter's budget period ends on October 31, 2023.
The cabinet has set aside Rs350 billion for development in the province for the next quarterly period, while most of the development budget will be spent on ongoing projects.
The interim government has allocated Rs1.72 trillion for non-development expenditure, while Rs355 billion has been greenlit for ongoing development schemes.
The cabinet plans to complete development schemes on time with foreign funding of Rs33 billion.
The non-development budget has been earmarked for administrative, routine and operational expenditures, while Rs170 billion has been allocated for salaries and Rs130 billion for pension in the budget.
Addressing a presser in Lahore after the cabinet meeting, Punjab Caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir said at least Rs2 billion in the interim budget have been set aside for information technology, while, Rs10 billion has been approved for the repair of roads and buildings and Rs208 billion for the health sector.
The minister said that the provincial government has paid Rs83 billion against wheat debt retirement.
“At least Rs10 billion have been dedicated towards priority projects in the agriculture sector, while Rs80 billion have been allocated to repay federal loans,” he said.
