SAP allocation: Days before budget, govt doles out another Rs5bn to lawmakers

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday granted approval for further jacking up funding for Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme (SAP) for parliamentarians by Rs5 billion, increasing it from Rs111 billion to Rs116 billion for the current fiscal year. It’s ironic that the SAP funding has gone up from Rs70 billion to Rs116 billion in the outgoing fiscal year for 2022-23 ending on June 30, 2023. For the upcoming budget of 2023-24, the National Economic Council (NEC) had approved Rs90 billion for SAP for parliamentarians despite the fact that the tenure of parliament is going to expire on August 12, 2023. However, officials told the ECC meeting that the SAP programme had so far allocated/surrendered Rs91 billion.

The Steering Committee on SAP, in its 37th meeting, held on May 19, 2023, granted approval of the proposal through a majority vote and directed the Cabinet Division to move a summary for an additional Rs5 billion for the current fiscal year. The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and Finance Division agreed to provide the amount of Rs5 billion through TSG from the savings available with them from their relevant demands in favour of Cabinet Division for the development schemes of deprived areas under SAP during CFY 2022-23. According to an official statement, issued after the ECC meeting here on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet. The ECC approved following technical supplementary grants:

1) Rs1,000 million in favour of Ministry of Housing and Works for development schemes in Punjab Province under (SAP) during CFY 2022-23.

2) Rs14,802.32 million in favour of Ministry of Housing and Works for development schemes of CFY 2022-23.

3) Rs1,209.450 million in favour of Ministry of Housing and Works for execution of 15 development schemes of CFY 2022-23.

4) Rs5 billion in favour of Cabinet Division for Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme (SAP) during CFY 2022-23.

5) Rs1,773 million in favour of Ministry of Energy (Power Division) for execution of development schemes of Punjab and KP provinces under PSDP during CFY 2022-23.

6) Rs3.96 billion in favour of Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training under WB Project – Higher Education Development in Pakistan for 2022-23.

7) Rs130 million in favour of Ministry of Narcotics Control as TSG for CFY 20223-23.

8) Rs8 million in favour of Ministry of Narcotics Control for Operational Cost of Anti-Narcotics Force for the CFY 2022-23.

9) Rs6 million in favour of Revenue Division to meet the shortfall of budget grant of CFY 2022-23.