PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur has said that the province will present a tax-free budget, as per the private tv report.
According to a report, In a statement he said the budget has been prepared after consulting the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He assured that no new tax will be imposed on the people. He also said that KP has not taken any new loans so far, and Rs150 billion have been set aside for loan repayments.
Gandapur added that several mega projects are being launched in the province. Work is already under way on the Dera Motorway. He said the government will increase interest-free loans for youth to help them become self-reliant. A state of emergency will also be declared in the education sector to improve the quality of education.
The KP budget for the next fiscal year 2025-26 will be presented on June 13 after approval from the provincial cabinet. According to the finance department, the budget will have a surplus of Rs200 billion. The development budget will be increased by 40%, and around 500 new development projects will be included.
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Meanwhile, CM Gandapur boycotted a meeting in Islamabad about the distribution of development funds among provinces. However, the Planning Commission managed to convince him by including some of KP’s projects in the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
Sources said the chief minister walked out of the meeting to protest the exclusion of key projects like the missing link of Peshawar’s Northern Bypass and the Tarbela-Lawrencepur Road. Later, after these projects were added, he ended his protest.
The finance department sources confirmed that four development projects from KP have now been included in the PSDP. Earlier, only two projects worth Rs540 million were approved.
