MULTAN, June 29: The City District Council on Thursday unanimously approved a Rs4.83 billion surplus budget, allocating Rs2.218 billion for development. City district nazim Mian Faisal Mukhtar presented the budget while convener and city district naib nazim Syed Wajid Ali Shah chaired the budget meeting.

The meeting was informed that the CDGM was expected to get an overall income of Rs4,838.347 million while expenditures were estimated at Rs4,811.942 million, making it a surplus budget by Rs26.405 million.

The CDGM, having an opening balance of Rs397.25 million, expects to receive Rs3,265.492 million from the Punjab government, Rs257.605 million as an additional grant for different schemes, Rs80 million from reimbursement claims and salaries of newly-appointed employees, additional grant of Rs342 million due to its CDG status, expected grant of Rs200 million due to increase in salaries, and Rs296 million income is expected to be generated through its own resources.

Mr Mukhtar said that an overall Rs1124 million had been spent on the development during the last four years while the annual development funding for the year 2006-07 was almost double this amount. We would spend Rs2,218.599 million in 2006-07 alone, he said.

He said the income from local resources was Rs14.431 million only last year that rose to Rs68.6 million in 2005-06 and it was expected to rise up to Rs296 million, suggesting a big increase by around Rs280 million.

At least Rs129.3 million had been allocated for education sector, Rs118.6 million for health sector, Rs30 million for purchase of medicines, Rs291.8 million for agriculture sector, Rs130 million for forests, wildlife and parks’ renovation, Rs250 million for widening of roads, Rs75 million for electricity and Sui gas schemes, Rs59.2 million for the provision of drinking water to areas where ground water was brackish, he said.—APP