A total amount of Rs 5.39 billion has been proposed for 26 projects of Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the financial year 2019-20. According to documents of budgetary proposals of the ministry relating to the PSDP for the financial year 2019-20 presented in a meeting of relevant National Assembly Standing Committee, almost all projects are ongoing (previous). The ministry did not propose any new development project and all previous projects have been approved by Central Development Working Party (CDWP).
The committee met with MNA Junaid Akbar in the chair here at P-Block, Secretariat, on Thursday. According to documents, a total of Rs 3.52 billion have been proposed for ongoing Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad - land acquisition and site development project, Rs 718.171 million have been proposed for Centre for Rural Economy, Rs 250 million for Centre of Excellence for CPEC, Rs 150 million for CPEC Support Project (revised), Rs 25 million for construction of Plan House in Administration, Sector F-5/2, Islamabad (PC-II), Rs 100 million for Development Communication Project and Rs 17.4 billion for Inspector General Development Projects, Balochistan (Phase-II) (Quetta).
Similarly, Rs 126 million have been proposed for National Initiative for SDGs/Nutrition, Rs 100 million for Pak-China Year of Friendly Exchanges Programme (CPEC) and Rs 100 million have been proposed for Reform and Innovation in Government for High Performance, etc.
During the meeting, the committee confirmed minutes of its first meeting held on 20th February, 2019. Secretary Planning Zafar Hassan briefed the standing committee regarding the organisational structure of the ministry. During the briefing, the chair stressed that the vacant post of chief economist must be held by a person who is competent and eligible to serve in the same position for at least three to four years.
While discussing the process for development strategy and budget-making, the committee stressed that underdeveloped and remote areas need special focus of the ministry for development projects.
Committee member Ahsan Iqbal said that any province did not share development budget with the federal government while the federal government shared development budget with the provinces. He said that rules were not changed after the passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment. There is need to change rules for sharing development budget to prepare comprehensive budgets of the provincial as well as the federal governments.
MNAs Sher Akbar Khan, Saleh Muhammad, Shaukat Ali, Syed Faiz-Ul-Hassan, Nawab Sher, Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dreshak, Dr Seemi Bukhari, Shandana Gulzar Khan, Muhammad Sajjad, Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Sardar Muhammad Irfan Dogar, and Abdul Shakoor attended the meeting.
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