Govt allocates Rs250bln for special socioeconomic uplift schemes in FY18

ISLAMABAD: The government has allocated Rs250 billion for various special programmes for the forthcoming budget of 2017/18 to improve socioeconomic developments, a document showed on Monday.

Just ahead of the next general elections due next year, the government is going to launch special programs of more than Rs260 billion funds; of that a major chunk will be utilised for different initiatives taken by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The allocations for the special programs include Rs30 billion for Prime Minister’s (PM) global sustainable development goals (SDGs) program for the next budget. The SDGs funding is largely utilised through parliamentarians in consultation with provinces.

The centre and provinces undertake these schemes on a cost-sharing basis of 50:50 percent. But, there was a growing criticism among the opposition parliamentarians that they were deprived of the funds. 

The SDGs funding is largely utilised for minor schemes, such as for provision of electricity, gas and water supply schemes. The government has approved a new initiative under the federal development programme by allocating Rs40 billion for the next budget. 

Another Rs20 billion has been earmarked for the PM’s youth initiatives for the upcoming budget under which different initiatives will be taken by the government. The discretionary funds would be at disposal of lawmakers from the ruling bench to disburse them ahead of the elections. 

The government, after coming into power in 2013, had abolished all discretionary allocations in its first budget, but now again such allocations were made part of the upcoming budget in order to win support of masses.

There is a difference between allocations made for ministries/divisions and discretionary allocations as such funds could easily be diverted towards winning loyalties in certain constituencies.

The government allocated Rs10 billion for PM’s national health programme during the upcoming financial year. The government allocated Rs10 billion for PM’s program for new hospital (phase-1) in the next fiscal budget. For PM’s program for prevention and control of hepatitis, the government allocated Rs200 million. For planning of PM’s new hospital, its designing and master plan, the government allocated Rs1.317 billion in the coming budget. 

Moreover, the government allocated Rs100 million for PM’s electric wheelchair scheme for university students.

Under the special programs, the government also earmarked seven billion rupees for the Earthquake Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Authority for the next budget for undertaking development schemes largely in quake affected areas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The government earmarked five billion rupees in allocation of special provision for the completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. The government allocated Rs90 billion for temporarily displaced persons, including Rs45 billion for relief and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons and Rs45 billion for security enhancement in the federal administered tribal areas. The government also allocated Rs25 billion for gas infrastructure development cess under the special programme.