MULTAN, Nov 16: Local district government has approved its amended surplus budget for 2001-2002, enhancing development allocations to 27 per cent from earlier 16 per cent of the total expenses.

The budgetary session of the district council was held here on Friday with zila Naib Nazim Malik Amer Dogar in the chair while zila Nazim Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi presented the budget.

He said the district government had neither levied any new tax nor it increased the rate of existing taxes. The expected income was estimated at Rs2036.616 million while the budget outlay was Rs1980.491 million. Therefore, he said, Rs56.125 million were likely to be surplus.

In its receipts, the district would get Rs1473.001 million from district provincial accounts, Rs335,882 million from the local fund account and Rs227.733 million from the ADP, he said.

Additional revenue of Rs46.25 million would be generated through recovery without levying any additional tax and Rs4.5 million reduction in contingency funds, he said.

The zila Nazim said Rs163.8 million had been allocated for the development needs at the union council level with each UC would be given Rs1.3 million.

He said Rs3.2 million had been earmarked for the repair of UC offices, Rs179.86 million for the completion of ongoing schemes, Rs50 million for the improvement of sewerage system, Rs16.6 million for the completion of southern bypass, Rs19.8 million for the provision of gas to Shah Rukan-i-Alam Colony, Rs23 million for consolidating and improving the existing education and health facilities in the district and Rs247 million for the development needs of tehsil councils.

Similarly, he said, Rs10 million had been set aside for women and minorities’ development, Rs1.4 million for sports, Rs1.2 million for social welfare organizations, Rs0.5 million for seminars and conferences, Rs1.4 million for natural calamities, Rs1.3 million for unforeseen expenditures and Rs2 million for the reopening of railway crossings.

Details of the department-wise expenses are: DCO offices Rs4.4 million; finance and planning Rs6.981 million; revenue Rs26.753 million; education Rs841.211 million; literacy Rs0.42 million; health Rs138.073 million; works and service Rs82.838 million; agriculture Rs38.831 million; community development Rs21.257 million and local government Rs12.862 million.

Mr Qureshi said a sum of Rs18.2 million would be provided for the purchase of medicines for hospitals throughout the district.