ADP 2010-11: 90 percent of funds remain unutilised

The Sindh government is working on Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2011-12 while around 15 departments of Sindh government including health and education have utilised only 10 percent or even below of the amount released for 183 ongoing schemes, reliable sources at Planning and Development (P&D) Department told Business Recorder on Monday.
Sources further told that this was disclosed in a meeting held in the Finance Department a few days ago. Minister for Finance, Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired the meeting while Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh for Planning and Development, Dr Kaiser Bengali, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Ishaq Lashari were also present.
In the meeting to review ADP portfolio 2010-11, it was revealed that health, education, agriculture, local government, works and services, irrigation, planning and development, coal and energy, culture, forest and wildlife, livestock and fisheries, industries, information technology, women development and antiquities departments have utilised up to 10 percent or below of the amount released for the ongoing schemes, sources said.
Shah and Dr Bengali expressed anger and took serious notice in this regard. They said it was poor performance of concerned departments, sources added. On the directions of Shah and Dr Bengali, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Ishaq Lashari and Secretary for Finance have called meetings of administrative secretaries of health, education, agriculture, local government, works and services, irrigation, planning and development, coal and energy, and culture at the committee room of P&D, here on Monday.
During the meetings, they discussed the reasons behind the non-utilisation of funds in ongoing schemes in detail. The meetings to remain continued till Tuesday (Today) while the secretaries of forest and wildlife, livestock and fisheries, industries, information technology, women development and antiquities would attend the meetings, sources added.
Talking to Business Recorder, Dr Bengali said that there were many loopholes in the system; they had planned qualitative changes in the last budget 2010-11 regarding the usage of funds of schemes allocated in ADP but could not adopt due to floods situation. He said that 1766 new and ongoing schemes had been added in the ADP 2010-11 and the funds of only 183 ongoing schemes were not utilised fully. He said that the fate of 183 schemes would be decided shortly whether they would be abandoned or placed in ADP 2011-12.