Rs57b yet to be released for PSDP projects, Senate panel told

Planning secretary informs standing committee Rs618b of total allocation released so far during current fiscal

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reform has been informed by the planning ministry that so far Rs618 billion of the total Rs675 billion allocated for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects has been released during the current fiscal year.

The meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning was held at parliament on Monday in which finalising the PSDP proposals came under consideration. Senator Agha Shahzeb Durrani chaired the meeting.

The planning secretary said, “At the beginning of the current fiscal year, the PSDP had an outlay of Rs1.26 trillion for national development. However, after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came to power in August 2018, the allocation was slashed to Rs675 billion, while Rs618 billion has been released up till now.”

Zafar said, “A total of Rs951 billion has been proposed for the PSDP for the next financial year. Of the total, Rs701 billion has been reserved for PSDP projects and Rs250 billion for public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

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“Big dams like Dasu and Diamer-Bhasha are the priorities as 12% of the PSDP has been allocated for the water sector.”

He said that 394 schemes were excluded from the PSDP during the current fiscal, while three to four projects would be executed under PPP in the next fiscal. The western route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor from Kuchlak to Zhob had been included in the PSDP, he added.

“The focus in PSDP is on transmission and distribution,” he said.

“A 300MW project is being set up in Gwadar, while its tariff is being finalized,” said Zafar. “The budget for agriculture in the next fiscal has been proposed at Rs12 billion. We shall work to bring improvement in the agricultural production, while also move towards value addition.”

He said Bahawalpur district would be declared a “foot and mouth free zone”. On this, committee member Senator Usman Kakar said that Bahawalpur was being favoured because Khusro Bukhtiar hailed from there.

The planning secretary informed the committee that Rs9 billion had been reserved for the uplift of underdeveloped areas in Islamabad.

The committee chairman said that when the PTI had removed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from last year’s budget, how come they were included again?

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“The committee wants to know that who is being favoured by including it again into the budget,” said the chairman.

The planning secretary replied that the project was rationalized, but not excluded.

Senator Gian Chand said, “The issue was raised by our committee and we were told that SDGs spoil the parliamentarians.”

The committee chairman questioned the process of ascertaining the SDGs.

The planning secretary informed that the cabinet would see as to who would be provided funds.

Senator Kakar proposed including the Advanced Technology Training Centre project to be set up in Quetta in the PSDP. The committee accepted the proposal and recommended including the project.

The proposal of setting up vocational training centres in Chaman, Muslim Bagh and Pishin was also approved.

National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Jawad Rafiq Malik apprised the committee that the 800km-long Fata Expressway was already part of the PSDP; however, now “it has been directed to obtain the funding for the project from the Fata Package”.

He said the authority would start work on the project if the provincial government asked.

NHA chairman apprised the committee that a portion of 250km of a total of 800km of the Fata Expressway had been included in the PSDP but now it is being asked that it be funded from Fata package. KP govt will have to take initiative now. The committee recommended an early construction of Fata Exprssway.