Work and services, local government and irrigation departments get highest funding. PHOTO: FILE
The schemes of the works and services, local government and irrigation departments will get the highest funding at Rs1.234 billion, Rs1.164 billion and Rs919 million, respectively. These are followed by the projects to be undertaken by education, health and public engineering departments for which Rs727 million, Rs537.8 million and Rs369 million have respectively been earmarked.
The 30-kilometre road from Saeedabad taluka of Matiari district to Shaheed Benazirabad district, being built at a cost of Rs1.84 billion, will get Rs100 million in 2016-17. A sum of Rs1.14 billion has already been spent on the scheme since their approvals in Dec, 2013, while the remaining Rs600 million will be released till 2019.
Another 21-kilometre road project connecting Sakran and Sarhari towns, approved in May, 2016, will receive Rs115 million, of the total of Rs460 million, in the next fiscal year.
Five of the major projects in the local government sector have been allocated Rs746 million. The schemes include construction of storm water drains and, rehabilitation and construction of roads in Nawabshah town and its rural parts.
Bakhtawar inaugurates Cambridge school in Benazirabad
In the education sector, Rs1.89 billion project for establishment of a cadet college for girls in Shaheed Benazirabad has been given Rs225 million. The government has spent Rs976 million on the college so far while another sum of Rs694 million is required for the completion of the project.
The Benazir Bhutto Institute of Urology and Transplantation, costing Rs741 million, will get Rs60.5 million by June 2016. After June 2017, a further allocation of Rs360 million will be required to complete the project.
The proposed budget has set aside Rs100 million for building a new out-patient department for neurosurgery, neurology, urology and pediatrics wards as well as a 50-bed intensive care unit and two operation theaters at Peoples Medical College Hospital.
The project, approved in Dec, 2014, received only Rs25 million in 2015-16, leaving Rs720 million, of its Rs847 million cost to be given after 2017.
An anti-snake venom and anti-rabies lab, being established at a cost of Rs591 million, will receive Rs100 million funding in 2016-17. The construction of a women development complex and a working women hostel have been earmarked Rs30 million and Rs13 million, respectively.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2016.
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