‘ADP aims to revive pandemic-hit economy’

Says schemes will be included to contain coronavirus

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Saturday that the next Annual Development (ADP) would be public-welfare oriented. He said it would include schemes to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic, revive the economy, reduce poverty and empower women.

He issued this statement while presiding over a meeting to finalise the ADP for Fiscal Year 2021-22. The meeting at the CM House was attended by provincial ministers, Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, P&D Chairperson Shireen Narejo, PSCM's Sajid Jamal Abro, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi and secretaries of different departments.

The chief minister put the final touches to the next ADP 2021-22 and told the departments that ongoing schemes, which had received 100 per cent funding, must be completed. "Schemes which have utilised 50 per cent of funds will be given priority for completion in the next budget," he added.

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Shah said the pandemic severely hit the economy and poverty had increased as a result. "We will launch community development programmes to reduce poverty and relief will be given to small businesses," he said.

He added Covid-19 containment would be given priority in the next budget's uplift schemes. "We are going to establish infectious disease hospitals in other divisional headquarters," he said. Shah continued that the entire population of the province would be vaccinated to keep them secure.

Last year, a sum of Rs23.5 billion had been marked in the ADP for the health sector, with an additional Rs5 billion for Covid-19 control.

Shah said that over the last one-and-a-half years, the education sector had suffered a lot. "We will launch a scheme to modernise the education system so that related activities can continue without any interventions," he stated.

The CM said apart from development of the agriculture sector, schemes would be launched in rural areas to promote fisheries and livestock.

The chief minister was told that STEVTA has nine ongoing schemes, the women development department has two, culture and tourism has five, home department has 14, S&GAD has 23, industries has two, livestock has seven, fisheries has five, and minorities has one.

Shah directed all departments to focus on the completion of ongoing schemes in the next financial year. He told the transport minister to speed up the launch and completion of the BRT orange, yellow and red lines in Karachi. He directed all departments to sit with Planning and Development to finalise their development priorities so that the next portfolio could be finalised for Budget 2021-22.

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In FY 2020-21, the outlined ADP budget of Rs232.94 billion meant a decrease of 18.8 per cent compared to the previous year.

District ADPs aside, the provincial ADP had been pitched at Rs155 billion, while the foreign-funded and federally funded projects were estimated at Rs54.64 billion and Rs8.30 billion, respectively. Furthermore, Rs117 billion was to be spent on infrastructure development through public-private partnerships.

The budget documents, available with The Express Tribune, showed that ADP distribution for education was Rs21.08 billion, which included Rs13.15 billion for school education, Rs3.72 billion for college education, Rs128 million for the empowerment for persons with disabilities, Rs713 million for the Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority and Rs3.36 billion for universities and boards.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2021.