Establishment Division: NA body approves Rs3.53bn for development projects

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet approved Rs 3.53 billion for coming budget 2026-27 for on-going and new development projects of Establishment Division under Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).

The Committee also gave approval of budgetary proposals of Board of Investment (BoI) worth Rs 1.1 billion and Rs 792 million of Special Infrastructure Facilitation Council Division (SIFC) for next financial year 2026-27 under PSDP.

The Committee met with Ibrar Ahmed in the chair at Parliament House on Tuesday. The Committee discussed the budgetary proposals related to the PSDP for financial year 2026-27.

The Additional Secretary Establishment Division apprised the Committee that PSDP proposals worth Rs2.729 billion for four ongoing schemes while Rs800.601 million had been proposed for three new schemes. He further apprised that all these schemes pertain to improvement of infrastructure of Pakistan Academy for Rural Development (PARD) at Peshawar, upgradation of NIPA at Karachi, digitalisation of In-House processes at FPSC and construction of residential facilities for women officers at Islamabad. He informed that the new schemes included up gradation of infrastructure of decades old NIPA Karachi and operationalisation of newly built Auditorium and LAN infrastructure improvement at NIPA Peshawar.

The Committee recommended the PSDP of Board of Investment, Establishment and Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) Divisions for the financial year 2026-2027. The Committee recommended to the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Development to release required fund to concerned Divisions to avoid revision of cost of the projects resulting in wastage of public funds.

The Committee accorded its approval with direction to Planning and Finance Divisions to include the schemes in forthcoming budget and ensure timely release of funds to avoid project cost revision.

The Committee later accorded approval to the PSDP project of Special Infrastructure Facilitation Council Division (SIFC) amounting to Rs792 million. The project namely ‘Invest Pakistan’ relates to strengthening and capacity enhancement of SIFC.

The Committee also accorded its approval to the budgetary proposals of BoI worth Rs 1.1 billion. The Committee was informed that that two projects of BoI relate to establishment of Project Management Unit under CPEC-ICDP and Digital Economy Enhancement Project.

The Committee was informed that both the projects would help the investors aspiring to invest in Pakistan.

The Committee directed Benelovent and Group Insurance Funds to get the Actuarial Study of the Funds within shortest possible time expedite collection of data for provision to Acturail Firm so that the study was completed and relevant laws be amended. The Committee was apprised that the data required for Actuarial Study had been provided to the firm and the study would be expected to be completed by mid April.

The meeting was attended by MNAs: Syed Rafiullah, Nuzhat Sadiq; Farah Naz Akbar, Shahida Begum, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Tahira Aurangzeb, Rana Ansar, Irfan Leghari, and Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisaini, Additional Secretaries of Establishment and SIFC Divisions and BoI and other officers of the concerned departments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026