KARACHI, June 25: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that the new year’s budget has been prepared keeping in view the aspirations of the people, with particular emphasis on providing relief to the common man through short and long-term strategies.

“Every effort will be made to provide employment to the maximum number of people, provide relief to the poor and implement the Pakistan People’s Party’s manifesto of “Roti, Kapra aur Makan,” he said.

Mr Shah, who was winding up the general discussion on the budget statement of 2008-09 in the Sindh Assembly on Thursday, in his 40-minute speech announced that price control committees and peace committees would be formed within two weeks of the adoption of the budget.

Dispelling the impression that the budget was prepared by bureaucrats, he said it was a “poor man’s budget,” in which Rs12 billion were allocated for the poor.

He said he was aware that there were millions of people unemployed, which was the accumulation of over 12 years since the Benazir Bhutto government was dissolved in 1996. “The people were not provided employment because of the thinking of the regime of saving money by retrenchment of workers from institutions like banks, PIA and Pakistan Steel,” Qaim Ali Shah said. He added that this had resulted in increasing the poverty level.

He expressed surprise over why the previous government had not spent money from the treasury on providing employment to the people.Mr Shah said the present government would make every effort to provide jobs to the maximum number of people, which would strengthen the province and the country.

Recalling the philosophy of reconciliation given by Benazir Bhutto and pursued by PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, the chief minister expressed gratitude to Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali for extending the hand of cooperation to the government for attaining the rights of the people of Sindh and for the prosperity of the province.

“This cooperation,” he said, “would result in strengthening democracy and the people of Sindh.”

He said other colleagues of his cabinet had already highlighted the programmes and projects concerning education and health in detail.

He said he would briefly refer to the short and long-term plans included in the budget to develop industries and the agriculture sector. He said if agriculture was ignored, the government would not be able to finance the social sector.

“Mr Zardari has assured us not to worry about funds and go ahead with the construction of small dams. The government has planned seven small dams, which will be built in Kirther and Nagarparker Range,” Qaim Ali Shah said.

He hoped the Nai Baran dam would be ready within a year.

Referring to complaints of political victimization by some members from the opposition benches, he assured the house that that the PPP did not believe in revenge or political victimization and claimed its previous record was its proof.

“The party did not take any revenge of late Z.A. Bhutto, nor would it do anything against the philosophy of our leader. Even young chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said that we would take revenge by changing the system,” he said.

The chief minister announced that all MPAs, without any discrimination, would be given funds of Rs10 million for development schemes in their constituencies. In addition, they would actively participate in the execution of ADP schemes as this is a democracy and not an autocratic or dictatorial set-up.

He also said the law of controlling prices was being improved to check profiteers, hoarders and smugglers.

He also informed that the new NFC award would be given within four months and the federal government had declared that coal was a provincial subject, which would help in setting up coal-fired power plants.

The chief minister expressed gratitude to the opposition for the political environment in the house from the first day, when he had presented the budget.