ISLAMABAD: The federal government used only 70 percent funds, earmarked under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the year 2015-16, a parliamentary panel was told.
Planning Ministry’s additional secretary told the Senate Standing Committee on Planning that out of the total Rs 580 billion budget allocated for various ministries, divisions and corporations, as much as Rs405 billion have been released so far.
The meeting, which was chaired by Senator Syed Tahir Hussain Mushhadi, was attended by senators – Mufit Abdul Sattar, Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, Saud Majeed, Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari – and Saleem Mandviwala as special invitee. Saleem Mandviwala said that in Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir only five percent of PSDP was utilised while in FATA only six percent of PSDP was utilised. In South Punjab only 33.5 percent of the PSDP was utilised.
The additional secretary, in his detailed presentation, said he was hopeful that 100 percent PSDP funds would be disbursed in current year. He said that out of the total Rs 405 billion released amount, Rs 323 is local and Rs 82 billion is foreign aid component.
Similarly, out of the total Rs120 billion earmarked for Special Programme for Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) and Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, Rs.78 billion have been released so far, 65 percent of the total allocation, he added.
