Govt approves Rs24 bn for uplift schemes of MNAs

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to please parliamentarians, the PTI-led government has silently approved discretionary funding of Rs24 billion in the name of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Achievement Programme for execution of small development schemes recommended by each MNA for their constituencies. 

“Keeping in view thin majority enjoyed by the PTI in the National Assembly, the government has approved restoration of SDGs Achievement Programme and established Steering Committee under chairmanship of Special Assistant to PM on Political Affairs Naeemul Haq for approving small development schemes recommended by each MNA for their respective constituencies,” top official sources confirmed to The News here on Monday.

Steering Committee Chairman Naeemul Haq was contacted on Monday and inquired him about restoration of SDGs programme with allocated amount of Rs24 billion for execution of parliamentarians’ schemes and in his reply, he confirmed and stated “Yes”.

The opponents of PTI might term it another U-turn because they opposed discretionary funding but after coming into power now they restored the programme to please their MNAs. Without changing overall allocated amount of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) at Rs675 billion including discretionary programmes of Rs78 billion, the government has slashed the funding of ministries/divisions and spared Rs24 billion for execution of SDGs Achievement Programme during the current fiscal year. “The approved bloc allocation of Rs24 billion has been forwarded to Cabinet Division for execution of schemes under the head of SDGs Achievement Programme,” one top official of Planning Division confirmed to The News on Monday.

The Supreme Court had earlier barred discretionary funding in the past but this time, the PTI government sought approval of the federal cabinet for launching this programme again in the country.

According to the summary forwarded by the Cabinet Division to kick-start SDGs Achievement Programme, in each constituency, a committee comprising 20 citizens will recommend small development schemes related to education, health, clean drinking water, gas, electrification and others to Deputy Commissioner (DC) and all DCs would be required to dispatch schemes to respective provincial Communication and Works Department (C&W) or respective federal ministry.

The PC-1 will be prepared to scrutinise projects, said the sources. This time, the government has granted permission to purchase equipment through the discretionary funding but barred any administrative expenses from these funds such as no function or inauguration of the project would be allowed to meet expenses from these funds.

“We have also barred to purchase vehicles, offices or other expenses such as meals, tea etc. from these allocated funds,” said the official. Although, the approved summary did not discuss about cost sharing among the Center and provinces on the basis of 50:50 percent respectively, however, the top concerned officials recommended to the Center to involve provinces for cost sharing arguing that without ownership the development programme did not succeed in the country.

The last PML-N-led government had utilised close to Rs100 billion on such discretionary programme in last three years rule that had to face a lot of criticism from each quarter concerned. It was also criticised that major chunk of discretionary funding had been utilised in Punjab only.

One official who had worked with PML-N-led regime told this scribe that in last three years when the PML-N was ruling over Centre they dispatched letters to all provinces and KP government had sent back ongoing schemes by raising demand of Rs43 billion. The federal government at that time had replied back that the ongoing provincial schemes could not be financed through SDGs Achievement Programme. Only Punjab had agreed to share 50 percent cost of projects and remained major beneficiary.

The steering committee, the sources said, had not yet held its maiden meeting but this programme would be made operational very soon. This scribe made efforts to contact Secretary Cabinet Division Fazal Abbass Maken but got no reply till filing of this report.