Rs19.5b transferred for uplift of 5 districts
There is a possibility that the government will try to seek another Rs300 billion in funding under the public-private partnership model to show total development spending for the next fiscal year at Rs1.1 trillion. Photo: File
The K-P government has transferred Rs19.55 billion to Swat, Mardan, Swabi, Abbottabad and Dera Ismail Khan for development projects.
A total of more than Rs110 billion funds have been given to eight districts approved by the government, while the other 27 most backward districts of the province will be released a fund of only Rs39 billion.
According to documents of the Finance Department, during the last fiscal year, out of the Rs81.4 billion allocated for development projects in Peshawar, Rs61.8 billion were released. Similarly, Rs6.364 billion were released from the Rs10.599 billion allocated for Swat.
Despite a cut of Rs20 billion on the development projects of Peshawar, Rs16 billion could not be spent even out of the Rs61 billion released. According to the documents of the finance department, Rs110.359 billion were released in the districts from which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) elected more assembly members – Peshawar, Swat, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Haripur and Abbottabad.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2022.