Federal govt allocated Rs 2.25 billion for Balochistan Province
Sarfraz Baloch and Shehbaz Sharif

The Federal Government allocated Rs 2.25 billion under the Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Program (SAP). This allocation is for the parliamentarians of Balochistan Province. There are 16 parliamentarians in Balochistan and Sardar Khalid Khan Magsi from Nasirabad has chosen only one parliamentarian. He will utilize the allocated Rs 2.25 billion.

The federal government has revived political development schemes for parliamentarians and doubled the allocation from Rs 25 billion to Rs 50 billion.

 

The total amount was Rs48.37 billion. Punjab-based parliamentarians approved Rs28.87 billion. The government allocated Rs15.25 billion to Sindh. Balochistan received Rs2.25 billion. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was allocated Rs1.25 billion. Islamabad received Rs750 million.

The government also relaxed principles already notified for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to ensure quick disbursements to satisfy parliamentarians associated with the government. This is in addition to about 300pc increase in the salaries of parliamentarians allowed last week.

 

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The government has also decided to give the task to Pakistan Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (PIDCL) of the housing ministry since it abolished the Pak Public Works Department (PWD) that used to implement most of such schemes.

The Steering Committee on SAP recently held a meeting. It was led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. The Chairman Senate Yousaf Reza Gilani informed the committee about the letters he wrote. Deputy Speaker National Assembly Ghulam Mustafa Shah also wrote a letter. The letters requested re-validation of funds. These funds had lapsed during the financial year 2023-24.

The then PML-N government allocated Rs91bn in the FY2023-24 budget for the parliamentarians’ scheme and approved disbursement of about Rs61bn before the caretaker government replaced it, which put a freeze on such political schemes. As a result, the government could utilize about Rs57bn by the end of the fiscal year. The two PPP constitutional officeholders wanted the government to utilize those Rs 34 billion unspent funds this year.

 

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, however, told the meeting that Rs50bn had been allocated by the government for the SAP for FY24-25 under PSDP. However, the PSDP available on the ministry’s official website involves an allocation of Rs25bn for SAP without approval of the respective schemes.

The committee comprised 27 members, including a total of 16 parliamentarians, seven federal secretaries, and four provincial representatives. The parliamentarians included seven sitting cabinet members and nine MNAs, including Raja Pervez Ashraf, Shazia Marri, Sardar Yousaf Zaman, Riazul Haq, Javed Hanif Khan, Khalid Magsi, Ijazul Haq, and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

The planning commission has authorized about Rs 40 billion for disbursement, sources said.

The government has kept a tight lid on the core development program. Only Rs 148 billion was utilized in the first half of the fiscal year. The budget allocation was Rs 1.1 trillion. The utilization accounts for 10.45 percent.