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Education-driven budget for Pindi
RAWALPINDI, June 25(Daily Times): The district government
will announce Rs 5 billion education-oriented budget for fiscal year 2007-08
today (Monday), which is Rs 500 million more than the last year's
budget.
District Nazim Raja Javed Ikhlas told Daily Times that no new tax
would be levied in the budget and Rs 2.5 billion – half of the budget – would be
spent on education.
He said there would be an increase of 15 percent in
the non-development projects, as both the federal and the Punjab governments had
increased salaries by 15 percent and pensions of their employees by different
rates.
He said Rs 5.5 had been allocated for citizen community
boards.
The nazim said Rs 460 million, provided by President Pervez
Musharraf, would be spent on providing electricity to rural areas.
The
city government would spend Rs 350 million on the construction of new roads, Rs
110 million on the maintenance of existing roads and Rs 40 million would be
spent on the construction of district council hall, he added.
Ikhlas
avoided outlining the details of other expenditures, saying that the Rawalpindi
Development Authority (RDA) and WASA would present the budget on water on June
28. Revenues from billboards and hoardings would add to the district
government's income, he added. He thanked Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi
for initiating 1122 Rescue Service in the city.
He said the district
government had been provided with 15 ambulances, while five fire-brigade
vehicles would come soon. "We have set up four rescue centres at the Rawal Road,
Pirwadhi, the Cantonment area and Sawan," he added.
He said around 300
youngsters had received physical, medical and first aid training under the
rescue project to save lives in disasters.
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