Meagre amount: Social welfare dept receives Rs290m

KARACHI: The Sindh government has allocated a meagre amount of Rs290 million in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the social welfare department. However, this allocation is a 45% increase over 2015-2016’s allocation of Rs200 million.

Rs127 million has been allocated for seven new schemes, while Rs164 million has been allotted for five ongoing schemes with a thrown forward amount of Rs1 billion. The thrown-forward amount shown in the budget represents the cost of ongoing schemes brought forward each year. The higher the amount, the more difficult it is for the government to sustain both the new and ongoing schemes. The highest allocation in budget among the new schemes is for the establishment of drug addict rehabilitation hospitals in Karachi and Sukkur at a cost of Rs77 million. The establishment of Darul Aman in Khairpur has been allocated a budget of Rs13.75 million and construction ad upgradation of a rehabilitation centre for the physically handicapped in Karachi has been allotted Rs11.25 million. A sum of Rs3 million has also been allocated for the introduction of modern technology in the social welfare department.



Among the ongoing schemes, the establishment and strengthening of Darul Atfal and the rehabilitation of street children through a civil society organisation in Korangi 5, though approved in 2010, has only been allocated 34% of its total cost as of the ongoing financial year. The scheme with an estimated cost of Rs314 million has only been allocated Rs55 million.The establishment and strengthening of Darul Aman in Mirpurkhas and Jacobabad have been allocated Rs1.55 million and the project, which was begun in 2011 at a cost of Rs89.04 million, will be completed within the upcoming fiscal year. Two ongoing schemes, the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for senior citizens in Karachi and strengthening and upgradation of a social welfare training institute at Karachi, which were completely  deprived of a budgetary allocation in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, have been allocated Rs20 million and Rs30 million, respectively.

Besides the ADP allocation, Rs34 million has been allocated for dietary charges for patients of 18 rehabilitation centres, four Darul Amans and three Darul Atfals. Their per-day allocation has been increased from Rs30 to Rs300 per inmate.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2016.