Minister reviews annual development programme

LAHORE:Provincial Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht chaired a meeting of the annual development programme 2021-22 at the Planning & Development (P&D) Board on Wednesday to review the progress.

The minister directed the line departments to ensure maximum progress and utilisation of budget adding that laws would be amended, if required, to remove impediments to PPP-mode projects and the government would also extend necessary support to the partners.

Chief Secretary Jawad Rafique, P&D Board Chairman Abdullah Sumbal, secretary finance Iftikhar Sahu and administrative secretaries attended the meeting. The meeting took stock of the issues relating to the utilisation of budget and completion of ongoing schemes.

Planning & Development Board chairman briefed the participants that Rs337 billion were earmarked for development expenditures in the current financial year and the amount has increased to Rs346 billion after payment of pending dues by the federal government. He said that65 percent of the current ADP had been utilised.

Giving the details, he said that Rs200 billion was allocated for ongoing schemes and out of this amount, Rs83 billion of the released Rs129 billion had been utilised. Similarly, Rs71 billion was earmarked for new schemes in the current budget. The government has utilised 68 percent of the released amount worth Rs39 billion, he added. The 67 percent of the released budget of various development programmes has also been utilised, he said.

Abdullah Sumbal continued that the literacy and non-formal education department has utilised 87 percent budget, the urban development department used 86 percent while the planning and development department spent an 83 percent budget. Similarly, the labour and human resource used a 79 percent budget, the sports and youth affairs department spent 79 percent budget, the energy department used 74 percent and specialised healthcare spent a 73 percent budget in the current fiscal year.

All other departments have used more than 56 percent of their budget, he added. On the other side, P&D chairman maintained that laws relating to the requisition of land were causing the delay in public-private partnership based projects.