Gilgit-Baltistan govt unveils Rs1.48 trillion budget

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan government unveiled its Rs1.486 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2025–26, ARY News reported.

According to the details, the Gilgit-Baltistan budget was presented by Provincial Finance Minister Engineer Muhammad Ismail in the GB Assembly.

The budget suggests the strategic direction for health and education reforms in regions, institutional development, and expansion of infrastructure, while addressing economic challenges with a projected deficiency of Rs 6 billion.

Rs 881.92 billion have been included in the proposed budget for general services expenditures, and Rs 370 billion for development projects. An additional Rs 11 billion has been reserved for federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) initiatives.

As part of the Prime Minister’s program, Rs 4 billion has been allocated to assist imperative federal projects in the region.

To mitigate food concerns, the government has proposed a wheat subsidy of Rs 200 billion, along with a proposed 10% salary increase for government employees to ease inflationary pressures.

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The Gilgit-Baltistan budget 2025-26 has set a target for non-tax revenue at Rs 78.92 billion. To improve public services, allocations include Rs 14.7 billion for the education sector and Rs 12.5 billion for health initiatives, which feature Rs 6.2 billion designated for the Health Endowment Fund.

Additionally, the Gilgit-Baltistan budget proposes Rs 3.5 billion for agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, Rs 900 million for tourism development, and Rs 1 billion for advancements in information technology.

Minister Ismail emphasised that improvements in health and education within Gilgit-Baltistan remain top priorities, along with ongoing institutional reforms and reorganisation.

To improve local governance, the number of union councils has been increased through adjustments of borders. The budget session was marked by political protests, with opposition lawmakers boycotting the session.

Alongside, personnel from Rescue 1122 protested outside the assembly, calling to be back to the previous state of their special benefits.

The Gilgit-Baltistan budget contains proposals to restore their 2017 stipends and raise the police ration allowance from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000.