Annual Plan 2013-14: timely implementation of 550 projects to be ensured through RBM

In a bid to improve weak performance of planning and monitoring cells in ministries, the Federal government will ensure effective and timely implementation of approximately 550 development projects during financial year 2013-14 through result based monitoring (RBM), commits the Annual Plan 2013-14.
According to documents, ex-post evaluation of around 20 completed projects will also be undertaken next year to assess the outcome and impact of the projects with reference to their planned objectives, which will also serve as feedback for future planning. The Annual Plan 2013-14 observes that in the past, implementation of projects suffered mainly due to lack of internal monitoring of the projects; delay in release of funds; change in scope of work without approval; delay in submission of work plans; flaws in technical appraisal of the projects; changed funding mechanism; weak performance of planning and monitoring cells in ministries; releases to the projects over and above the approved capital cost and contractor issues with the executing agencies.
Planning Commission through Projects Wing adopted the RBM method for monitoring of development projects funded through Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in current fiscal year. Projects Wing has monitored 1,284 projects during last three years. However, 513 development projects (45 percent of PSDP) were selected for monitoring during 2012-13. Out of these 285 (55 percent of target) projects have been monitored till March 2013. Rs 132.414 billion were allocated to these 285 monitored projects, out of which Rs 54.07 billion (41.3 percent of allocation) have been released and Rs 46.33 billion (85 percent of releases) have been utilised during the first nine months of current financial year.
Pakistan Muslim League-N's government states that the governance reforms in provinces, public sector management efficiency programme and initiatives have already been under implementation at federal and provincial levels and will be continued during 2013-14.
An amount of Rs 6.85 billion including foreign aid of Rs 2.38 billion has been earmarked for next financial year for improving governance sector. The allocation is 90 percent over the current year's allocation which is Rs 3.6 billion including foreign aid of Rs 1.5 billion.