A slow roll-out: Eight months on, K-P’s promises of change remain tied up in red
Province walks a tight rope between internal checks and centre’s slow disbursement of funds.
PTI chief Imran Khan. PHOTO: INP
PESHAWAR:
Brimming over with enthusiasm to bring change from the outset, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) is yet to make its presence felt in terms of development work in the region. It has been in power for almost eight months.
The government has made little progress on the annual development programme (ADP) visualised for the fiscal year 2013-14. There are several factors, including a lack of disbursement of funds from the centre, which have resulted in the negligible gain on the ADP.
Yet, PTI’s inability to match the rapid change that it visualised in its manifesto is also to be blamed. Imran Khan’s party has adopted a very conservative path towards development, seemingly to avoid any labels of financial corruption which marred Awami National Party’s (ANP) rule in the province.
Many reasons have been cited to explain the delay in releasing funds for development work. The process to hire consultants for various departments has played a contributory factor. K-P Minister for Health Shaukat Yousufzai has said on one occasion, “We entered the government with hardly any infrastructure or good baseline for governance left by ANP.” Alluding through metaphors, the minister contended a train requires a proper railway track on which to run, and while the government needs to build that track, there is still time before things will get in to order.
A finance department officer of the Civil Secretariat revealed the PTI government has only received 25% of the total funds allocated to ADP. From the total planned budgetary outlay of Rs344 billion for the financial year 2013-14, Rs118 billion was set aside for development projects in K-P.
“So far, only departments that have hired consultants have received funds from the ADP,” added the official. Public health, irrigation and Auqaf departments have so far been successful in receiving the money. “The idea behind hiring consultants is to carry forward the development agenda, to supervise and evaluate works carried out by the government apparatus.”
Lean machinery
Another official, from the planning and development department, did not seem convinced about hiring consultants. Consultants cost and these will have to be borne by the government.
But, the official insisted, delays in utilising the ADP was only linked with the government’s efforts to take every precautionary measure against financial loopholes. “The entire process of establishing working groups for government departments, and later, the hiring of consultants, is aimed at ensuring efficient utilisation of resources – this is what took the government half a fiscal year,” he added.
Communication breakdown
Financial hiccups can also be traced to the lingering monetary disputes with the centre.
The provincial government has incessantly complained about the federal government’s attitude towards timely disbursement of outstanding dues.
As recently as December 17, the provincial finance minister Sirajul Haq complained the centre is yet to release a previous liability of Rs1.5 billion as well as Rs7.5 billion under the head of net hydel profits for the current fiscal year.
The K-P government remains displeased with what it termed “the federal government’s attempts to level the fuel price adjustment surcharge with the province” instead of ensuring power for the region. The provincial economy has not only suffered at the hands of the law and order situation in the region but also frequent and debilitating power outages.
Haq also alleged the centre harboured a hostile attitude towards K-P. While several mega development projects were planned, they are still awaiting approvals from the Central Development Working Party and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.
During a recent news conference, the minister revealed K-P has only received Rs19 billion against a promised Rs93 billion from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), which he said was an indication of the federal government’s “discrimination towards the province”.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2014.
Brimming over with enthusiasm to bring change from the outset, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) is yet to make its presence felt in terms of development work in the region. It has been in power for almost eight months.
The government has made little progress on the annual development programme (ADP) visualised for the fiscal year 2013-14. There are several factors, including a lack of disbursement of funds from the centre, which have resulted in the negligible gain on the ADP.
Yet, PTI’s inability to match the rapid change that it visualised in its manifesto is also to be blamed. Imran Khan’s party has adopted a very conservative path towards development, seemingly to avoid any labels of financial corruption which marred Awami National Party’s (ANP) rule in the province.
Many reasons have been cited to explain the delay in releasing funds for development work. The process to hire consultants for various departments has played a contributory factor. K-P Minister for Health Shaukat Yousufzai has said on one occasion, “We entered the government with hardly any infrastructure or good baseline for governance left by ANP.” Alluding through metaphors, the minister contended a train requires a proper railway track on which to run, and while the government needs to build that track, there is still time before things will get in to order.
A finance department officer of the Civil Secretariat revealed the PTI government has only received 25% of the total funds allocated to ADP. From the total planned budgetary outlay of Rs344 billion for the financial year 2013-14, Rs118 billion was set aside for development projects in K-P.
“So far, only departments that have hired consultants have received funds from the ADP,” added the official. Public health, irrigation and Auqaf departments have so far been successful in receiving the money. “The idea behind hiring consultants is to carry forward the development agenda, to supervise and evaluate works carried out by the government apparatus.”
Lean machinery
Another official, from the planning and development department, did not seem convinced about hiring consultants. Consultants cost and these will have to be borne by the government.
But, the official insisted, delays in utilising the ADP was only linked with the government’s efforts to take every precautionary measure against financial loopholes. “The entire process of establishing working groups for government departments, and later, the hiring of consultants, is aimed at ensuring efficient utilisation of resources – this is what took the government half a fiscal year,” he added.
Communication breakdown
Financial hiccups can also be traced to the lingering monetary disputes with the centre.
The provincial government has incessantly complained about the federal government’s attitude towards timely disbursement of outstanding dues.
As recently as December 17, the provincial finance minister Sirajul Haq complained the centre is yet to release a previous liability of Rs1.5 billion as well as Rs7.5 billion under the head of net hydel profits for the current fiscal year.
The K-P government remains displeased with what it termed “the federal government’s attempts to level the fuel price adjustment surcharge with the province” instead of ensuring power for the region. The provincial economy has not only suffered at the hands of the law and order situation in the region but also frequent and debilitating power outages.
Haq also alleged the centre harboured a hostile attitude towards K-P. While several mega development projects were planned, they are still awaiting approvals from the Central Development Working Party and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.
During a recent news conference, the minister revealed K-P has only received Rs19 billion against a promised Rs93 billion from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), which he said was an indication of the federal government’s “discrimination towards the province”.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2014.