PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minerals department has once again failed to utilise its development fund as it did not to spend even a single penny in the first quarter of the current fiscal year (Q1FY22).
Due to the inability of the department to utilise the allocated funds, the projects included in the department’s Annual Development Programme (ADP) have been delayed.
KP Finance Department documents show that out of the Rs246 million allocated for six projects, a total of Rs175 million were released but not used on any project.
Meanwhile, the finance department has also not released Rs46 million allocated for enchancing the capacity of mineral testing laboratory and Rs25 million for fencing the emerald mine in Swat district.
According to sources, KP Finance Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, on the first day of the current fiscal year, had announced that for the first time in history, the provincial government has released 100 per cent budget to facilitate departments in completing developments projects without any delay.
On the contrary, funds of many departments have not been released yet due to which projects have been delayed and their cost is increasing.
Sources said that due to financial constraints, the provincial government is not providing funds to the departments despite earning huge annual revenue through taxes and other means.
