No funds for 10 projects of inter-provincial coordination ministry

Out of 14 ministries, eight were able to obtain international funding for development schemes

ISLAMABAD: Several development projects of the ministry of inter-provincial coordination remain deprived of funds during the fiscal year 2018-19.

The government could not utilise the funds allocated for 10-year development projects of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

According to official statistics, the federal government during the first eight months of the current fiscal year released Rs365.23 billion out of Rs675 billion development funds.

However, the government did not issue a single penny for 10 development projects of the ministry of inter-provincial coordination during the period.

On the other hand, out of 14 ministries, only eight were able to obtain international funding for their development programmes.

The federal government released an overall amount of Rs365 billion for 39 ministries, divisions and special allocation-based programmes for Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

Of the amount, Rs157.58 billion was released for development of national highways, Rs18.51 billion for higher education projects, Rs72.34 billion for ministry of climate change, Rs1.49 billion for ministry of defence production, Rs490 million for ministry of trade, Rs240 million for industries and production, Rs410.15 million for ministry of food security, Rs195 million for Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Rs2.72 billion for ministry of health services, Rs28.26 billion for ministry of water resources and Rs7.9 billion for projects of the interior ministry.

Similarly, the federal government released Rs12.61 billion as block allocation for Gilgit-Baltistan and Rs176.7 million for Azad Kashmir.

The government released Rs4.81 billion for temporarily displaced persons (TDPs) and Rs11.88 billion for increasing security.