First quarter of fiscal year 2020-21: Sindh's zero utilization of funds in several areas

KARACHI: Sindh government released Rs38.46 billion in the first quarter of this fiscal under the category of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) out of the total outlay of Rs155 billion for the whole fiscal. According to the Budget Execution Report the expenditure of funds for the first quarter of the financial year 2020-21 stood at Rs18.33 billion against the release of Rs38.46 billion during the quarter under review.

As many as 2246 new and ongoing development schemes are included in this current fiscal development outlay. The department-wise utilization of the development budget shows that the Agriculture, Supply and Prices Department recorded nine percent utilization of funds as its expenditure came to Rs39 million against the releases of Rs451 million in the first quarter of this financial year.

However, utilization of funds was zero in projects relating to community development programmes, cooperative, Board of Revenue, human rights, human settlements, information technology, matching allocations and provincial ombudsman.

In Auqaf, Zakat and Ushr Department, the utilization of funds stood at Rs6 million. In Culture and Tourism Department, funds utilization stood at 56 percent with the expenditure coming to Rs172 million against Rs304 million released. In the Education Sector, Rs1.348 billion was spent against Rs5.327 billion of funds, showing 26 percent utilization of funds.

In the Energy sector schemes, 48 percent of the expenditure was recorded with Rs144 million utilization of funds against Rs300 million released. In the Food Department, 82 percent utilization of funds was registered as Rs10 million was spent against Rs12.5 million released. In the Forest and Wildlife Department, 48 percent of funds were utilized.

In the Health and Home Departments, 38 percent and 30 percent of funds were utilized respectively. Irrigation and Investment schemes registered 69 percent and 60 percent utilization of development funds respectively. The Local Government and Law and Prosecution Departments recorded 33 percent and 61 percent utilization of funds respectively. The Planning and Development Department utilized 12 percent of funds.

The utilization of funds was four percent in schemes relating to minority affairs, sixty-two percent in lining of the main canals, a hundred percent in finance department, a hundred percent in labour, twenty-three percent in the livestock and fisheries and ninety percent in the provincial assembly schemes. The Population Welfare department registered 51 percent utilization and Public Health Engineering recorded 42 percent expenditure.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020