NA body told: MoST starts no new project since three years due to budget shortage

ISLAMABAD: Budget constraints are affecting innovation and research, as the Ministry of Science and Technology has started no new development project for the last three years on account of budget shortage.

This was revealed by senior officials while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology Committee which recommended increase in the budget to further improve the research sector in the country.

The committee met under the chairmanship of Senator Kamil Ali Agha here on Wednesday, which meeting reviewed the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and budget recommendations of the Ministry of Science and Technology for the financial year 2025-26.

The chairman of the committee presented suggestions to the federal minister Khalid Magsi regarding the improvement of the ministry and said that there are no heads in many institutions of the ministry, to which, the federal minister informed that steps are being taken to appoint heads of many institutions.

The officials told the committee that the ministry has spent 75 percent of the Rs14 billion, while the remaining budget will be used in the last quarter. They said that NUST and PCSIR are given the highest budget.

The officials said that NUST is being given Rs3 billion in funds. Committee member Senator Afnanullah Khan said that the salaries of teachers in NUST are less while the salaries of the admin staff are high and they have also been given vehicles. On this, the federal minister assured that the committee would be informed about the details in this regard.

The chairman of the committee said that the prime minister’s package is not being given to the deceased employees of the ministry. Senator Afnanullah said that the committee has not been briefed by NUST yet.

Officials said that currently 31 projects are underway, costing more than Rs3 billion. The chairman of the committee asked what steps the ministry is taking in the field of research, to which, the secretary of the ministry said that a proposal has been made to the prime minister that any institution or individual who makes any kind of invention should be awarded a prize.

The chairman of the committee said that the ministry should also pay attention to new inventions. The federal minister said that unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of research in the country. He said that Pakistan’s agricultural sector is also suffering from a slump. Till date, we are not getting quality seeds and fertilisers. The chairman of the committee said that the ministry has a lot of inventions, but they are not being taken forward. To which, the secretary of the ministry said that no new development project has been started for the last three years because there is no budget.

Afnanullah said that the same is the case with the IT Ministry; there is no budget there either. A detailed briefing was given to the committee regarding the various projects of the ministry.

The chairman of the committee said that public awareness regarding drug testing is necessary and it would be better if the testing is made free of cost, to which, the federal minister said that DRAP needs to be made more active in this regard.

The committee was informed that a modern laboratory has been set up in the country with the cooperation of Korea to check the performance of solar panels. The committee member said that Pakistan has become the largest buyer of solar panels, so testing is very important. The committee directed the ministry to present complete details of budget expenditure regarding all projects of the ministry in the next meeting and recommended the ministry to increase the budget in the research sector.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025