The government has released Rs 752.15 billion (75.14 per cent) including Rs 182 billion foreign aid for different development projects so far under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) 2017-18 against the total budgeted allocation of Rs 1,001 billion, which was reduced to 750 billion rupees in the budget documents released in the last week of April.
Adviser development budget of Ministry of Planning Asif Sheikh confirmed to Business Recorder that the Ministry revised PSDP-2017-18 to Rs 750 billion. Answering a question, he said that caretaker government is releasing funds for on-going development projects as a matter of routine. He said that caretaker government has not released any extra funds for any project.
According to latest data the government released Rs 186.35 billion (61.74 percent of total budgeted amount for federal ministries) for development projects of various federal ministries against the total budgeted allocation of Rs 301.83 billion. The government has not released funds for development projects of Foreign Affairs Division, National Security Division, Special Provision for Completion of CPEC Project and Gas Infrastructure Development Cess.
The government released Rs 3,021.2 billion including Rs 121.6 billion foreign aid for the National Highway Authority (NHA) against total budgeted allocation of Rs 324.7 billon for the year 2017-18, whereas for WAPDA (Power), an amount of Rs 43.44 billion including Rs 42.84 billion foreign aid has been released out of the total budgeted allocation of Rs 60.9 billion.
Railways Division received Rs 19.384 billion out of its total budgeted allocation of Rs 42.9 billion. The government has released an amount of Rs 34 billion including Rs 1.1 billion foreign aid for Water and Power Division (water sector) against the total budgeted allocation of Rs 36.75 billion for the current fiscal year.
The government released Rs 26.32 billion for various development projects of Higher Education Commission out of total budgeted allocation of Rs 35.67 billion for the current year, while Rs 12.62 billion has been released for Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
The government has released Rs 2.66 billion to Capital Administration and Development Division, Rs 782.57 million to Climate Change Division, Rs 665 million to Commerce Division, Rs 8.663 billion to Communication Division (other than NHA), Rs 12.13 billion to Interior Division, Rs 286.53 million to Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority and Rs 2.1 billion to Planning, Development and Reform.
An amount of Rs 18.75 billion has been released for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Division against budgeted allocation of Rs 48.7 billion. An amount of Rs 16.6 billion has been released for Finance Division out of its total budgeted allocation of Rs 20.9 billion.
The government released Rs 62.4 billion for Special Federal Development Program for temporarily displaced persons (TDPs) against Rs 90 billion budgeted allocation and Rs 13.73 billion for development projects of Prime Minister's Youth and Hunarmand Program under current fiscal year 2017-18.
The entire amount of Rs 30 billion has been released for Prime Minister's Global SDGs Achievement Program. The government released Rs 1.77 billion to Port and Shipping Division, Rs 1.2 billion to Science and Technological Research Division, Rs 887.13 million for Defense Division, Rs 7.83 billion to Housing and Works Division, Rs 1.79 billion to Defense and Production Division and Rs 2.5 billion for Information Technology and Telecom Division.
An amount of Rs 464.4 million has been released for Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) out of its total budgeted allocations of Rs 554.29 million. The government released Rs 24.6 billion including Rs 1.67 billion foreign aid for development projects of Azad Jammu and Kashmir against the total budgeted allocation of Rs 25.84 billion for current fiscal year.
The government also released Rs 15.5 billion for development projects of Gilgit-Baltistan against Rs 18.3 billion budgeted allocation, while Rs 26 billion have been released for the projects of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) against the total budgeted allocation of Rs 26.9 billion.