Govt to earmark Rs25 bn for SDGs programme in budget

ISLAMABAD: The government has proposed funding of Rs25 billion for the Prime Minister’s Special Programme for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the upcoming budget 2017-18 against upward revised utilisation of Rs24 billion in the outgoing fiscal through supplementary grants. 

The incumbent PML-N led regime had allocated Rs20 billon for the PM’s SDGs achievement programme on the eve of the last budget 2016-17, which was now revised upward to Rs24 billion through supplementary grants, keeping in view increased interest of parliamentarians to undertake small development schemes in their respective constituencies.

The Senate Standing Committee on Marginalised Segments on Wednesday met under Chairmanship of Senator Mohammad Nisar in which parliamentarians criticised that almost 80 percent funding of the SDGs programme was utilised in Punjab. It should be reversed as a Senator belonging to Fata, Sajjad Hussain Tori, categorically stated that there was no single penny utilised on Fata through the SDGs programme.

After revising the upward funding for PM’s SDGs programme from Rs20 billion to Rs24 billion through supplementary grants for the outgoing fiscal, the government has proposed allocation of Rs25 billion for undertaking small uplift schemes through the same programme with the consent of parliamentarians for the upcoming budget 2017-18.

The utilisation of PM’s SDGs programme was already revised upward to Rs24 billion from initial allocated funding of Rs20 billion on the eve of the last budget for 2016-17 and now the government has decided to keep this allocation at Rs25 billion in the upcoming budget 2017-18. This funding might go up again through supplementary grants keeping in view electioneering year within the next financial year.

According to official documents available with The News the proposed funding for PM’s SDGs programme would be standing at Rs 25 billion in the next budget 2017-18 which would be utilised for undertaking development schemes of sanitation, construction of roads and other minor schemes with the approval of local governments and endorsement of parliamentarians.

The indicative budget ceiling (IBC) under Medium Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF) for 2017-18 to 2019-20 shows that the allocated amount for PM’s SDGs proposed at Rs25 billion for financial year 2017-18, Rs30 billion for financial year 2018-19 and Rs30 billion for financial year 2019-20.

However, the Senate Standing Committee on Marginalised Segments took serious notice that there was no mechanism for getting data of deprived segments except database available under Benazir Income Support Programme. The Chairman of the Committee Senator Mohammad Nisar said that the country’s prevailing poverty stood at 38 percent population living below the clutches of poverty. The Senator criticized the Planning Commission for not focusing on poverty eradication initiative as they did not have knowledge about government’s priorities for achieving SDGs ratified by the government global levels.

They raised question that the Planning Commission utilised Rs27 billion for achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which was now converted into SDGs in last four years but they did not know as to where the funding was utilised.

Senator Sajjad Hussain Tori said that no penny was utilised on Fata through SDGs during the last four years from 2013 to 2017. He said that martyrs of bomb attacks got compensation of Rs 300,000 in Fata but such victims in other areas were provided Rs2 million. Such discrimination is unacceptable, he added.