Provincial departments in Sindh utilised only thirty percent of funds released for the schemes included in Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the first quarter of financial year 2019-20.

Sindh Government released Rs45.981 billion or twenty two percent, out of Rs208 billion, total size of the provincial ADP in July-September 2019-20.

Provincial departments utilised only Rs13.939 billion in the quarter under review against released funds worth Rs45.981 billion.

According to the figures released by Sindh Government about ADP utilisation, Education Sector utilised five percent of the releases in the months under review.

Health Sector utilised 34 percent of the releases during the first three months of the current fiscal whereas Agriculture, Supply & Prices Department utilised 31 percent of the released amount in July-September 2019-20.

Auqaf, Zakat & Ushr Department utilised forty two percent of the released funds whereas Culture & Tourism Department's utilisation stood at 25 percent against the released funds.

Planning & Development Department utilised twenty percent of the released funds whereas Population Welfare Department utilised forty seven percent of the released amount.

Provincial Assembly utilised 100 percent of the released funds whereas Public Health & Engineering utilised eleven percent of the releases.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) utilised forty eight percent of the releases and Sindh Social Protection Department spent 89 percent of the releases. Sports & Youth Affairs utilised thirty five percent and Thar Infrastructure Development consumed five percent of the releases.

Transport & Mass Transit utilised 52 percent of the releases and Works & Services utilised sixty five percent of the released funds.

Local Government Department spent forty percent of the releases and Mega Projects for Karachi City consumed twenty eight percent of the releases in the first quarter of current financial year.

Minorities Affairs Department consumed eight percent of the releases and Livestock and Fisheries utilised seven percent of the released funds in the period under review.

Irrigation Department's utilisation came to fifty five percent against the released funds and Information & Archives utilised only twenty percent against the released funds.

Forest & Wildlife Department utilised eighty percent of the funds against the releases and Investment Department utilised only four percent against the released funds. Law & Prosecution utilised forty percent of the released amount.

Cooperative Department, Board of Revenue, Energy, Environment, Food, Governor's Secretariat, Home, Human Rights, Human Settlement, Industries & Commerce, Information Technology, Labour, Lining of Main Canals, Mines & Mineral Department didn't receive any funds in the first quarter of this fiscal for the schemes in ADP.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019