Punjab proposes Rs250bn for ADP 2012-13

MUHAMMAD RIAZ

LAHORE: The Punjab government has proposed an amount of Rs 250 billion for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2012-13, against Rs 220 billion of 2011-12, depicting an increase of Rs 30 billion.

The ADP 2012-13 has been formulated within a Medium Term Development Framework (MTDF), a rolling plan providing development estimates for a three-year period. The major objectives of the ADP are to achieve equitable growth embracing all sectors and regions, extend social sector coverage and generate employment, enhance productivity and competitiveness in the production sector, encourage public private partnership and infrastructure development, its rehabilitation and consolidation, provide more resources for the less developed areas.

The salient features of the ADP include regional balance in allocation of resources with extra weight for less developed districts, continued focus on undertaking projects that can be completed within one year to control throw forward, and continued strategic intervention in large cities to realize their potential as engines of growth and enabling medium cities to share the urbanization pressure.

According to the budget documents, out of the total ADP allocation, Rs. 86.179 billion has been made available for ongoing schemes while Rs. 163.820 billion would be for new schemes in the next year.

A major junk of the ADP goes to Social Sector with Rs. 86.461 billion, out of which Rs. 25.065 billion would be spent on different schemes in the education sector, while health gets Rs. 16.5 billion, Water Supply and Sanitation Rs. 9.886 billion, Social Protection Rs. 1.2 billion, Regional Planning Rs. 15.5 billion, Local Government and Community Development Rs. 910 million and District Development Packages Rs. 17.400 billion.

In the education sector, Rs. 15 billion has been allocated for school education, Rs. 6.650 billion higher education, Rs. 700 million for special education, Rs. 915 million for literacy and Rs. 1.8 billion for the sports.

The second largest spending of Rs. 62.900 billion would be made in the next financial year on the infrastructure development programme under which Rs. 33.045 billion have been made available for roads, Rs. 11.250 billion for irrigation, Rs. 10 billion for energy, Rs. 3.245 billion for public buildings, Rs. 5.360 billion for urban development.

Likewise, an amount of Rs. 8.615 has been allocated for production sector that includes agriculture Rs. 5.040 billion, forestry Rs. 475 million, wildlife Rs. 350 million, food Rs. 200 million, livestock Rs. 1.650 billion, industrial and commerce and industries Rs. 350 million, while Rs. 300 million has been made available for mines and minerals.

The provincial government has planned to spend Rs. 11.100 billion on the services sector under which Rs. 2.4 billion has been allocated for information technology, Rs. 100 million for labour and human resource development, Rs. 6.200 billion for transport, Rs. 2.1 billion for emergency service, and Rs. 300 million for tourism.

The ADP proposed Rs. 350 million for environment, Rs. 200 million for information, culture, and youth affairs, Rs. 350 million for archaeology, Rs. 185 million for Auqaf and religious affairs, Rs. 220 million for human rights and minority affairs, and Rs 4.119 billion for planning and development.

The government has proposed to spend Rs. 35.5 billion on special programme/packages that includes Rs. 19.5 billion special programme/initiatives, and Rs. 16 billion for district/tehsil municipal town development programme.

An allocation of Rs. 11 billion has been made for construction of Bus Rapid Transit System, Rs. 10.5 billion for Southern Punjab Development Programme, Rs. 4 billion for provision of laptops to the students, Rs. 2 billion for green tractor scheme for rural youth.

The government has also proposed to spend Rs. 1.5 billion on low income housing, Rs. 3 billion on population welfare programme, Rs. 2 billion on Danish School system, Rs. 2 billion on Punjab Education Endowment Fund, Rs. 6.5 billion on Punjab Education Foundation, Rs. 1.5 billion on TEVTA and TEVTEC, Rs. 5.5 billion on DLI for MDGs (PMDGP), Rs. 1 billion on Punjab Technical University, Rs. 3 billion on Self Employment Scheme, Rs. 1 billion on Women Development and Sports, Rs. 500 million on Innovation Development Fund, Rs. 1.5 billion on internship programme, Rs. 600 million on parks and horticulture authorities, Rs. 5 billion on vertical health programme, Rs. 5.4 billion on sector specific companies like PIEDMC, PLDC, PLDDB and PAMCO/LMC.

It is pertinent to mention that an amount of Rs. 12.472 billion has been expected under the head of foreign aid that includes Rs. 8.462 billion for ongoing schemes and Rs. 4.010 billion for the new schemes in the ADP in the next year.