ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb has announced a 101 percent increase in the development budget, noting that 81 percent has been earmarked for ongoing schemes and 19 percent for new schemes.
In his budget speech in the National Assembly on Wednesday, the minister announced the development projects in Azad Kashmir and merged districts, saying that completion of ongoing development projects will be the top priority of the government.
“The government would focus on export, equity, empowerment, environment, and energy under the 5-E framework,” he added.
Outlining the points of Pakistan budget 2024, Aurangzeb said that 17 major development projects have been included in the budget.
He added the government has allocated Rs5 billion for the Quaid-e-Azam Health Tower in Islamabad, and Rs7bn for development projects in the poorest districts.
He further said that Rs6bnhas been earmarked for the Karakoram Highway project, Rs4bn for digitalisation of the national economy, Rs2bn for the establishment of Danish school in Islamabad and Rs5bn for the establishment of 7 Danish schools in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Finance Minister Aurangzeb, at the outset of his speech, said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team should be congratulated on his efforts in the past one year to revive the economy.
He was confident that Pakistan would soon be on the path of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
