The Gilgit-Baltistan government has presented a provincial budget worth Rs148.63 billion for the fiscal year 2025-26.
According to reports, Finance Minister Engineer Muhammad Ismail presented the budget in the assembly, which includes a deficit of Rs6 billion. The budget also proposes a 10% salary increase for government employees.
The budget allocates Rs88.19 billion for non-development expenditures and Rs37 billion for development projects. Additionally, Rs11 billion has been proposed for federal PSDP projects and Rs4 billion under the Prime Minister’s Programme.
The government has set a non-tax revenue target of Rs7.89 billion and proposed Rs20 billion in wheat subsidies.
The finance minister stated that Rs1.47 billion is allocated for education and Rs1.25 billion for health, including Rs620 million for a health endowment fund.
Other sectoral allocations include Rs350 million for agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, Rs90 million for tourism, and Rs100 million for the IT sector.
