Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan presents Rs218.8bn budget
Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan has presented a budget for the 2026–2027 fiscal year worth 218.845 billion Pakistani rupees. The budget envisages a deficit of 52.65 billion rupees, which regional authorities are seeking to cover by securing additional funding from the federal government, Dawn reports.
The budget was presented in the regional assembly by Senior Minister Mohammad Ali Akhtar, who is also in charge of finance. The session was chaired by Speaker Imran Nadeem. The full budget was submitted with a three-month delay: in July, the government presented an interim estimate of 20.478 billion rupees for the first quarter.
Expenditure and financing
The budget allocates 43.97 billion rupees for development expenditure and 149.87 billion rupees for non-development expenditure. Target tax revenues amount to 16.98 billion rupees. According to Akhtar, the annual development programme was increased from 22 billion to 23 billion rupees.
Funding under the federal development programme was increased from 15 billion to 20.973 billion rupees, including 4 billion rupees provided under the prime minister's package. The wheat subsidy fund, previously reduced to 15 billion rupees, was increased to 22 billion rupees. Expected revenue from wheat sales is estimated at 3 billion rupees.
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The region has also requested a special stabilisation package of about 153.3 billion rupees from the federal government. According to the minister, the package's identified objectives include supporting local government, ensuring law and order, education, healthcare, tourism, compensation for flood damage, municipal services, food provision, agriculture, climate change response measures, and repayment of various obligations.
Social and sectoral programmes
The minimum wage for employees of public and non-public institutions was raised from 40,000 to 44,000 rupees. The budget allocates 63.57 billion rupees for salary payments and 1.048 billion rupees for education. It also provides 1 billion rupees for social protection for the first time, while a targeted fund worth 4 billion rupees has been proposed for the social sector.
The government decided to channel 1% of development funds to a consolidated climate account. It also plans to purchase hybrid vehicles for government departments and auction off old vehicles with high fuel consumption. The minister announced a 30% cut in the non-development budgets of all departments.
Specific allocations include an additional 170 million rupees for medicine purchases; 50 million rupees each for agricultural water resource management, agricultural reform, youth loans, local elections, and repairs to local government offices. The water and power department received 78 million rupees, tourism received 18 million rupees, and development projects in ten districts received 5.034 billion rupees.
