Rs 987.311 million funds of four Sindh government departments remain unutilised

Sindh government's four more departments including Coal & Energy, Mines & Mineral, Antiquities and Women Development could not utilise funds of Rs 987.311 million of 54 schemes, allocated in Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2010-11, reliable sources told Business Recorder on Monday.
Due to non-utilisation, Planning and Development (P&D) department adopted Rs 230.997 Million out of total Rs 987.311 Million to schemes of other departments. While, rest of amount of Rs 756.314 Million has been surrendered by the said departments to Finance Department, sources told.
Sources said that Coal & Energy, Mines & Mineral, Antiquities and Women Development are very important departments so that concerned officials should have used all funds on relevant schemes instead of surrendering that bulk amount to Finance Department. Sources further revealed that many of allocated funds had been re-appropriated by P&D Department on the directives of prior authorities which were utilised in the head of emergency relief expenditures. According to official documents obtained by Business Recorder, Rs 241.036 Million of eight important schemes of Coal and Energy has been surrendered to Finance Department.
While Rs 101.285 Million of Antiquities Department has been utilised by Planning and Development Department in other schemes due to no-usage, it has also surrendered Rs 191.753 Million of 24 schemes to Finance Department as well. Similarly, Rs 230.121 Million of 17 schemes of Women Development have been utilised by P&D Department.
Moreover, very important department of Mines and Minerals has surrendered Rs 223.116 Million of five schemes to Finance Department. Said all schemes were very important and designed for the benefits of common public but funds could not be used, sources told.
Despite Sindh government's cut on original allocation of ADP 2010-11, the said departments did not utilise revised funds due to inefficiency, sources further told. An official of Finance Department told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity that it's a routine practice, which was happening from many years. Provincial departments have become habitual and they don't have any interest in proper usage of funds, he added.
He said that during closing time of every fiscal year, we were mentally ready to receive letters of surrendering allocated funds. Lapse of allocated funds due to non-utilisation is also routine practice of provincial departments, he added.