The budget of any country or province is ignored as a mere gimmick of statistics. The budget itself expresses the priorities of the government. At present, democracy in Pakistan is flourishing in the form of a coalition government. Presenting a balanced budget to the people is a huge challenge for any coalition government.
If we look at the federal and Punjab budgets for the fiscal year 2025-26, it can be called a tax-free budget. I sincerely pray to Allah Almighty to make Pakistan self-sufficient. Pakistan should not have to shoulder the burden of any country or organization for the sake of its people. Talking about the budget of the Punjab province for the fiscal year 2025-26, the total budget volume has been kept at Rs 5335 billion.
The Punjab government has presented a people-friendly budget in the House.
The development budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 1240 billion. The current and service delivery budget of Rs 679.8 billion has been allocated. The social security measures are estimated at Rs 70 billion. The salary of government employees increases 10% and 5% in pensions. Rs 811.8 billion for education, Rs 630.5 billion for health, Rs 411.1 billion for local government, Rs 335.5 billion for construction, Rs 299.3 billion for public safety and police, and Rs 129.8 billion for agriculture. The Punjab government has presented a people-friendly budget in the House. Punjab’s historic budget 2025-26 is a testament to the excellent vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
If we look at the details of the health budget, a state-of-the-art 915-bed Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research is being built in Lahore at a cost of Rs 72 billion. Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology is being built in Sargodha at a cost of Rs 8.6 billion. Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology is being built in Lahore at a cost of Rs 8.8 billion. Children’s Hospital and Institute of Genetic Blood Diseases, Institute of Surgical Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation, Specialized Medical Hospital and Medical College, 1000-bed Cardiac Institute, Medical University, State-of-the-Art Diagnostic Lab and Center of Excellence for Nursing Education will be built under Nawaz Sharif Medical City in Lahore at a cost of Rs 54 billion.
A total of Rs16 billion has been estimated for the establishment of medical colleges in Narowal, Okara and Layyah. A plan to establish burn units in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan at a cost of Rs4 billion is also being made part of the current budget. Rs 7 billion has been allocated for the establishment of a teaching hospital in Sialkot, while Rs 8.5 billion has been estimated for the establishment of a children’s hospital in Rawalpindi. It is a matter of great pride and mention that for the first time in the history of Punjab, a huge amount of Rs 79.5 billion has been allocated for the provision of free medicines in government hospitals.
Ensuring free provision of cheap and quality medical treatment to the people of Punjab under the Universal Health Insurance Program at a huge cost of Rs 25 billion is also among the priorities of this budget. In the next financial year, funds of Rs 3.2 billion have been allocated for the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, under which more than 4300 innocent children have been performed free heart surgery so far.
In the next financial year, funds of Rs 3.6 billion have been allocated for the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Transplant Program, under which free operations of kidney, bone marrow, cochlear and cornea transplants are being carried out. The Chief Minister’s Dialysis Program will be continued in the next financial year with an estimated budget of Rs 8.7 billion, under which more than 20,000 patients have been provided free dialysis facilities so far. Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, while expressing his views in this regard, said that Rs 3 billion funds have been allocated for the establishment of Cath Labs at the district level across Punjab.
Air ambulance service has been launched brilliantly across the province. The Punjab government has given special attention to the health sector in the budget 2025-26. The Punjab government is striving to provide quality health facilities to the people. Insha Allah, all health projects will be completed on priority basis in the year 2025-26. The ongoing schemes of Punjab include the renovation of the old blocks of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Lahore, the Nawaz Sharif Institutes of Cardiology in Lahore and Sargodha, and the Punjab Institute of Mental Health. The ongoing schemes include the establishment of PMU and the health insurance program. Like the previous budget, the health sector was the focus of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in this budget too. In the coming fiscal year, a record Rs 181 billion has been allocated for the public health sector under the development budget.
A huge amount of Rs 450 billion has been allocated under the non-development budget. We pay tribute to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and her cabinet for presenting the best budget in history for 2025-26. We also appreciate the efforts of Secretary Specialized Health Care and Medical Education Department Azmat Mahmood, Secretary Emergency Services Department Punjab Dr. Rizwan Naseer, Secretary Home Punjab Dr. Ahmed Javed Qazi and DG Punjab Disaster Management Authority Irfan Ali Kathia. Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s efforts in providing a tax-free budget to the people are noteworthy and commendable.
The writer is a freelance columnist.