ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Finance approved Rs1.1 trillion development budget under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) against the requested development budget of Rs2.9 trillion.
This was revealed in a Senate Functional Committee on Underdeveloped Areas meeting chaired by Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani.
The Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Finance briefed members on the development projects approved for the current fiscal year.
Officials revealed that while the Ministry of Planning requested a development budget of PKR 2.9 trillion, the Ministry of Finance approved PKR 1.1 trillion under the PSDP.
During the session, Senator Durrani questioned the lack of monitoring mechanisms for the disbursed funds.
He stressed that monitoring the implementation of PSDP projects is the responsibility of the Planning Ministry and highlighted that a lack of oversight contributes to corruption. “Who is responsible for ensuring performance? The Finance Ministry releases funds based on recommendations from Planning, but there’s no system to track outcomes,” he added.
Additional Secretary of the Planning Ministry admitted that monitoring over 1,000 projects is unfeasible with current resources. The committee was informed that there are 1,071 ongoing projects valued at PKR 13.7 trillion, including both new and ongoing initiatives, of which, PKR 3.9 trillion has already been utilised.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the briefing, the committee demanded a detailed report on the progress of PSDP projects and associated institutions in an upcoming session.
The Ministry of Interior briefed the committee on international NGOs’ operations in Pakistan.
Officials stated that 112 international NGOs are currently registered, with memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed with 85. Monitoring their activities; however, remains a contentious issue, as the Ministry of Interior and the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) shifted responsibility on one another.
Senators Muhammad Aslam Abro, Falak Naz, Saifullah Abro, Hamid Khan, and specially invited Senator Ashraf Jatoi, alongside officials from the Planning and Interior ministries, attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.