K-P spends 43.3 per cent of development funds

Documents show govt released 61.15% of total allocated funds in FY 2018-19

PESHAWAR: As has been a running theme of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led governments over the past few years, the provincial government has failed to fully utilise its development funds.

Documents issued by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government show that during the first 11 months of the provincial government, it has spent only 43.3 per cent of its total budgetary allocation.

The PTI government had laid out a budget with a development component of some Rs180 billion for the fiscal year 2018-19. It later increased this Rs188 billion and a supplementary increase of Rs1.35 billion pushing it to Rs189.35 billion.

Of this, Rs115.79 billion were released for ongoing projects. However, the government only spent Rs81.99 billion of this money.

During the past 11 months, Rs1.79 billion were spent on agricultural development schemes, while Rs134.2 million were spent on religious and minority affairs.

A further Rs19.17 billion were spent on the finance department, and Rs418.7 million were spent on buildings.

The provincial government spent Rs15.79 billion on annual district development programmes.

The provincial government overreached on expenses for water-related programmes in the province, spending around Rs2.61 billion were on water and drainage projects. A further Rs8.8491 billion were spent on the water-related projects.

It spent Rs8.36 billion were spent on primary and secondary education, Rs81.3 million on the energy and power sector.

Moreover, Rs3.7 million were spent on environment-related programmes, Rs37.8 million on excise and taxation, Rs275.6 million on treasury, Rs190 million on food, Rs2.17 billion on forests, Rs5.35 billion on health, and Rs4.7 billion on education.

Further, a billion rupees were spent on interior affairs, Rs210 million on the housing sector, R980 million on industries, Rs12.6 million on information, Rs11.6 million labour, R847.9 million on law and justice, Rs2.4 billion on district authorities, Rs116.2 million on the minerals sector, Rs2.57 billion on multi-sector development, Rs60 million on population welfare, Rs834.1 million on relief and restoration programmes, Rs1.29 billion on sports and tourism, Rs75.1 million on science and technology, Rs7.08 billion on transportation sector, and Rs2 billion on urban development.

Despite its proclamations of focusing on poverty alleviation, documents show that the government has not spent any money on poverty eradication.

During the fiscal year 2017-18, the PTI-led K-P government had failed to fully expend its development budget, despite launching the mega scheme of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the provincial capital. The government spent only around 64 per cent of the funds it allocated under its annual development programme (ADP). This despite the fact that the provincial finance department had released 97 per cent of the earmarked funds.

Similarly, during the fiscal year 2016-17, the provincial government had used only 58 per cent of its development budget. However, back then the provincial finance department was delaying the release of funds owing to delays in funds transfer from the federal government in time. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2019.