PESHAWAR: The annual budget for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would include a salary increase for the government employees, the addition of families into the food card scheme, and funds for merged districts, KP Finance Minister Taimur Ali Jhagra said on Monday.

“The province, which was suffering from terrorism, became the centre of investment in the PTI’s tenure. Today, international companies are investing here. In the past three years, the KP’s revenue authority has been the best in the country, Jhagra, who presented the annual budget of the province, said during the assembly session.

Salient features

• Total budget expenses Rs1,332 billion (Rs1,108.9 billion for settled districts and Rs223.1 billion for merged districts)
• Current budget: Rs913.8 billion (Rs789.8 billion for settled districts and Rs124 billion for merged districts)
• Development budget: Rs418.8 billion (Rs319.2 billion for settled districts and Rs99 billion for merged districts)
• 63,000 employees will get permanent
• Development budget volume: Rs418 billion
• Food cards for one million families
• Work from home for government employees on Friday
• Rs25 billion worth of loans for youth
• 16% increase in government employees’ salary
• 15% increase in government employees pension
• Rs17 billion for education
• Four new medical colleges for Dir, Boner, Charsadda, and Haripur
• 15% allowance for employees of forest department, rescue, and police
• 58,000 teachers to get permanent
• Rs26 billion worth of relief package for poor families
• ‘Sehat Card Bumper’ for government employees
• 675 ad hoc doctors will get permanent
• 600 nurses will be appointed

The 33 per cent of KP’s development budget is the highest in the country, Jhagra said, adding that the system was improved after financial reforms.

He lamented the low level of federal government spending for merged districts in the province’s budget.

Jhagra claimed that the government would bring the best health insurance programme in the province, adding that the funds were increased for improving district hospitals.

More to follow