PESHAWAR: The federal government has released Rs11.95 billion for the development of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) during the last 10 months of the current financial year (2017-18) that comes to less than 50 percent of the Rs24.5 billion development budget allocated for the tribal belt.
However, the funds’ release is not the one disparaging aspect of the sluggish Fata development. It is rather the low utilization of the funds. As of April 20, out of the released Rs11.95 billion the progressive utilization stood at just Rs8.2 billion. It comes to 32 percent of the funds allocated and 68 percent of the funds released during the first three quarters.
It has triggered concern about the ability of the Fata Secretariat to receive or utilize the remainder amount during the two months left in the current fiscal year. It is now feared that about Rs10 billion of the Fata development budget will lapse or the federal government will withhold the amount by imposing a budgetary cut on Fata.
The statistics obtained from Finance Department of the Fata Secretariat indicated that so far the Fata Secretariat could secure Rs11.95 billion only of the Rs24.5 billion Fata uplift budget. And it could merely utilize Rs8.2 billion of the amount received by April 20.
Earlier, owing to the slow pace of utilization by the Fata Secretariat, the federal government slapped a budgetary cut for the third quarter funds. It released Rs3.15 billion of the Rs6 billion on March 12.
The federal government had set a condition for the Fata Secretariat that if it wanted to secure the remainder amount of Rs3 billion for third quarter and Rs8 billion of the fourth quarter, then it had to first utilize Rs11.9 billion already released to it.
The concern is now mounting over the apathy of the Fata Secretariat bureaucracy as with just two months left it would be a miracle for them to first secure the remaining Rs12.4 billion from the federal government and then utilize it.
Agriculture and livestock sectors are the main source of livelihood for the tribal people and it also seems to be in peril, particularly for the recently returned displaced people.
The sector-wise utilization data shows that in agriculture extension the funds utilized are Rs2 billion against 5.9 billion which turns out to be 35 percent of the total annual allocation.
In the Livestock sector Rs280 million stands utilized against Rs740 million at 39 percent. In the Housing sector, Rs240 million of the allocated Rs1 billion could be utilized that stands at 22 percent.
The Public Health Engineering (PHE) department utilized Rs 410 million of Rs1.9 billion amounting to 21 percent. The Rural Development department spent Rs210 million of Rs812 million that comes to be 25 percent of the funds allocated for the sector.
However, the real problems lay in the Education and Health sectors. In terms of utilization of funds, a mere Rs490 million out of 1.6 billion has been spent in the Health sector which turns out to be 29 percent of the allocated funds.
It means hospitals will be without equipment, medicines, required staff, and funds sanctioned for the vector management. In the Education sector, the utilization stood at Rs1 billion out of Rs4.48 billion which comes to 24 percent.
Slow utilization and consequent funds lapse in these sectors will mean that most children in Fata will remain without basic and missing facilities such as boundary walls, water supply, wash-rooms, furniture fans, solar panels and stationary in their schools.
When contacted to comment on low utilization of funds, Secretary Finance, Fata Secretariat, Syed Kamran Shah, through his written response said that an amount of Rs.4.800 billion was released in August, 2017 as 1st quarter tranche. He added that in the 2nd quarter they got Rs.4.000 billion in January this year which was to be released in October, 2017. In the third quarter, Rs.3.150 billion of Rs.6.000 billion was released in March instead of January, 2018, withholding Rs.2.850 billion.
Similarly, the 4th quarter release of Rs.8.410 billion was required to be released in the first week of April, which has not yet been provided.
He said that Finance Division had imposed ban on re-appropriation of funds, which has also affected the utilization of development funds. Also, the Election Commission of Pakistan has imposed ban on diversion of funds, execution of new schemes, which, he said.
