KARACHI, June 15: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah will present the new budget for fiscal 2008-09 on Monday in the Sindh Assembly, whi-ch is scheduled to meet at 5pm in its historic building.

Prior to the budget session, the chief minister will preside over a Sindh cabinet meeting at 3pm at the Chief Minister’s House to give the final touches and approval to the new budget.

This will be the first budget of the Pakistan People’s Party’s government in Sindh – as well as being the first provincial budget of the new set-up after the announcement of the federal budget – which was formed in the province after the February 18 general elections in the country.

Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, who will preside over the session, contrary to his predecessor Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, will most likely find a disciplined house in the absence of any substantial opposition: 17 members currently occupy the opposition benches, while the treasury benches enjoy a strength of 149 in a house of 168.

The election on two remaining seats is scheduled for June 26. One of the two seats – PS-30 in Khairpur – fell vacant after Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional opted for a National Assembly seat, while the seat for PS-62 (Tharparker) fell vacant due to the death of Arbab Abdullah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

The total outlay of the new budget, which has been termed by Information Minister Shazia Marri as ‘people friendly,’ is likely to be over Rs270 billion, with over Rs60 billion for the Annual Development Programme against last year’s ADP size of Rs50 billion.

This does not include funds which are in the pipeline for development projects in the province from foreign financial institutions, sources close to the finance department told Dawn.

In the budget, according to sources, priority was given to development and ensuring basic amenities with particular emphasis on clean drinking water, education, health and low-cost housing to provide shelter to homeless people and regularization of katchi abadis. These settlements had been ignored during the last four years by closing their amount, said observers.

Cabinet expansion

Before the budget session, according to reliable sources, at least one more MPA is likely to be administered oath as a minister by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad.

A simple ceremony is scheduled in this connection at around 12 noon at the Governor’s House, where one more member from the PPP’s coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement will be sworn in as minister. Two advisers are also likely to be announced – one from the PPP and the other from the Awami National Party.

Meanwhile, PPP parliamentary party leader Pir Mazharul Haq, who is also senior minister with the portfolio of education and literacy, has summoned a meeting of the parliamentary party prior to the assembly session at 1pm at the Chief Minister’s House to formulate the strategy for the budget session.

Although the joint opposition in the house had elected Jam Madad Ali of the PML-F as its leader, in absence of any heavyweight opposition, it is unlikely there will be any fireworks in the house during the budget session, following a reported declaration by the opposition that their stand would be determined on an issue to issue basis and there would be no opposition for the sake of opposition, as had been the past practice when the current rulers sat on the opposition benches.

Dawn tried contacting Jam Madad Ali, but he was busy in a meeting where reportedly some 16 MPAs were present.

The party-wise position in the house is as follows: the ruling coalition includes the PPP (94), MQM (51) and ANP (2), while the opposition comprises the PML-F (8), PML-Q (9) and the National People’s Party (2).

Two PML-Q MPAs had voted in favour of PPP candidate Syed Qaim Ali Shah in the vote for chief minister: it is not clear whether they will sit with their colleagues in the opposition or join the treasury.