Wednesday, 16 June 1999
Pakistans PMO expenses exceed Budget allocation
Islamabad: Even in a year of financial
crisis, the expenses of the prime ministers office in
Pakistan exceeded budgetary allocation by 52 per cent.
According to government estimates, the Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharifs office has spent Rs 149.69 million in the current
financial year, which ends on June 30, though the allocation was
just Rs 98.46 million.
In the budget for the next financial year that was presented last
week, allocation for the prime ministers office has been
increased to Rs 162.22 million.
The expenses of the Ehtesab (Accountability) Bureau have been
included in the expenditure of the prime ministers office
in 1998-99. The bureau costs the public exchequer Rs 4.35
million, including the salaries of 10 officers and 58 other
employees. In the proposed budget for 1999-2000, Rs 11.50 million
has been allocated for the bureau.
The Prime MinisterS Office overshot its allocation in a
year when the budgets of all ministries and government
departments were slashed across the board due to the financial
crisis triggered by sanctions following the 1998 nuclear tests.
The ministries of social and human development were also not
spared from cuts. The allocation for the education ministry was
slashed by Rs 15.06 million.
Funds of federal government-run educational institutions was
reduced by Rs 19.54 million from the original allocation of Rs
639.14 million. The ministry of local government and rural
developments budget was cut by Rs 10.22 million from Rs
82.46 million.
An amount of Rs 99.846 million had been allocated to ministry of
food, agriculture and livestock, but it received only Rs 84.25
million. The allocation for research in agriculture was slashed
from Rs 341.804 million last year to Rs 308.624 million in
1998-99.
Funds of the health ministry were also not spared. Out of a total
allocation of Rs 95.586 million, it was given only Rs 78.661
million. The allocations for medical services and public health
were slashed by Rs 98.625 million and Rs 24.297 million
respectively. (India Abroad News Service)