ISLAMABAD: Under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), the Ministry of Planning, De-velopment and Special Initiatives authorised Rs72 billion for various ministries and divisions in the fourth quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal year 2022-2023.
Various ministries and divisions have been authorised Rs566.85 billion by the planning ministry, which is Rs50 billion more as compared to the previous year, which was Rs516.31 billion.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) remained on the top as Rs42,928.91 million was authorised in the fourth quarter of the current year.
The details of the amount authorised to ministries and divisions are as follows:
Aviation Division — Rs3,314 million,
Cabinet Division — Rs90,035.28 million,
Climate Division — Rs4,073 million;
Board of Investment — Rs163.63 million;
Commerce Division — 5,550.61 million;
Communication — Rs108 million;
Defence Division — Rs2,226.94 million;
Defence Production — Rs2,200 million;
Establishment Division — Rs433.07 million;
Federal Ministry of Education & Professional Training — Rs5,469.91 million;
Housing & Works — Rs19,528.42 million;
Information and Technology — Rs5,731.7 million;
Railways — Rs25,818.8 million;
National Food & Security — Rs12,329.13 million;
National Health Services, Regulation — Rs11,774.42 million
Moreover, the ministry has authorised Rs91,845.22 million to the provinces. Furthermore, the National Highways Authority (NHA) was authorised Rs76,575.34 million, National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC)/Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Rs20,209.83 million and Railways Division Rs25,818.80 million.
Since taking charge, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has held his stance that the federal government should not take projects related to the provinces.
“The federal government should consider only high priority projects of the provinces based on 50-50 sharing,” the minister said during the last meeting in which he reviewed the PSDP.
It should be noted that despite financial constraints, the government managed to allocate Rs700 billion for PSDP. During the year 2022, in the same quarter, the PTI government failed to release a single penny, which happened for the first time in the country’s history. –Agencies
