ISLAMABAD: The government has allocated Rs180.284 billion for 104 projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2024-25 for the National Highways Authority (NHA), which is around 16 percent higher than Rs156 billion allocated for the current fiscal year of 2023-24, official sources revealed to Business Recorder.

Sources said that the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) proposed Rs180.284 billion for 104 projects under PSDP 2024-25 for NHA to the National Economic Council (NEC). For 90 ongoing projects, Rs167.800 billion were proposed, whereas Rs12.484 billion for 14 new projects.

The government had allocated Rs156 billion in the PSDP 2023-24 for NHA, of which, the Planning Commission authorised Rs93.9 billion till April 2024. The NHA’s expenditure remained at Rs57.708 billion during July-April 2023-24.

The government had initially communicated provisional Indicative Budget Ceilings (IBC) of Rs92 billion under PSDP 2024-25 to NHA for carrying out ongoing and new projects. However, NHA demanded Rs628 billion against around 100 ongoing and new projects.

Sources said that NHA did not submit a summary to APCC as it was not possible for the authority to prepare PSDP in such a narrow allocation and that is why the NHA’s case was not considered in the committee meeting, which proposed Rs1.22 trillion for PSDP for the next budget.

The NHA was expecting to get around Rs200 billion under the PSDP 2024-25, however, the APCC proposed Rs180.284 billion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024