The ministry of finance has convened priorities committee meeting today (Friday) to finalise the development projects in the allocated budget ceiling for the next fiscal year, it is learnt. Sources said recurrent and development ceilings were forwarded to the ministries and divisions last month with the instructions to prepare their projects for the next fiscal year as well as for the subsequent two years within the given ceilings.
The priorities committee meeting, they said would be held in two sessions with the first one to start in the morning and would continue till afternoon to finalize the projects of ministries of water and power, science and technology, housing and works, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the Atomic Energy Commission and the President Secretariat. In the second session, the budget ceiling of Senate, National Assembly Secretariat, Cabinet, Defence, Prime Minister Secretariat and Auditor General of Pakistan would be taken up.
The ministries and divisions have been requested to finalise the list of projects (ongoing and new approved) within ceiling with the help of concerned sector chiefs, Planning & Development, financial advisers and Economic Affairs Division and place the same before the priority committee.
The list of projects may contain project name (ongoing and new approved, if any), total allocation (sub-divided into rupee and foreign exchange met from own resources) and foreign funding (ie donor funding). The ministries and divisions have been asked to bring one or two pages summary in the priorities committee meeting. The summary must include planned services (outputs) as well as delivery for the next three years within the allocated ceilings both (recurrent and development). The meetings would also be attended by the relevant financial adviser (Finance Division), Sector Chief (Planning Commission) and a delegate member of Economic Affairs Division.