All ministries, divisions authorised to spend Rs116bn on development schemes

ISLAMABAD: The planning ministry has authorised all ministries and divisions to utilise 20% of their allocated funds — which amounts to Rs116bn — on development schemes in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, reported The News.

“Without any condition of ways and means, the government allows ministries/division to utilise 20% funding in the first quarter of the current fiscal in order to jump-start the sluggish economic activities through the public sector investment,” top official sources in the Planning Commission confirmed to The News on Saturday.

The bloc allocation of discretionary PM’s SDGs programme will be released fully within the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

The government made strategy to allow utilisation of 20% funds in the first quarter, 30% in the second and third quarter and 20% in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal was done to utilise development funds in an effective manner.

On the directives of the prime minister, the government has relaxed all rules and procedures for the purpose of kick-starting the economic activities from the start of the current fiscal year.

The official said the ministries were asked to contact the Planning Ministry if they required additional funding after utilising limit of 20% in the first quarter.

“The ministries can utilise 20% funding without seeking approval in shape of ways and means that were earlier placed by the Finance Division,” said the official.

The federal government allocated Rs650 billion for Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for the current fiscal year. The federal PSDP of Rs650 billion included foreign aid of Rs72 billion.

Accordingly, special interventions have been made to enhance the allocation of ongoing projects and financing of new projects in Balochistan, Merged Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The allocations of Balochistan projects were enhanced despite resource crunch from the current year’s allocation. In consultation with the Balochistan government, various projects have been budgeted including dualisation and improvement of existing N-50 from Yarik-Zhob including Zhob Bypass, Jhal-Jhao Bela Section, Naukandi-Mashkhel in addition to other various road and water sector projects.

Similarly, to harness the hydropower potential of Gilgit-Baltistan, all on-going hydropower projects have been provided additional funds as compared to CFY.

Likewise, in addition to the annual development programme of Merged Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 Years Development Plan for Merged Districts with an allocation of Rs24 billion is being financed.

Originally published in The News