MoCC surrendered Rs10 million for the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) project, terming it an unapproved scheme. STOCK IMAGE
The Ministry of Climate Change (MOCC) will have to learn effective penny-pinching if it is to function on its available budget.
The Ministry of Finance has released only Rs25.103 million for three MOCC projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), even though Rs74.528 million had been approved by the coordination committee for the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15.
Of the three projects, MoCC surrendered Rs10 million for the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) project, terming it an unapproved scheme.
Last year the MOCC had demanded Rs408.8 million for 21 prioritised projects under PSDP, however, the finance ministry conveyed budget ceilings for three years as Rs58.8 million for 2014-15, Rs65.9 million for FY 2015-16 and Rs81.3 million for FY 2016-17.
“Since these IBCs were insufficient to the meet international obligations [of climate change], the Planning Ministry was asked to revise the IBCs during the PSDP meeting held on April 17, 2014. The Planning Commission agreed to revise the IBCs of Rs408.8 million for PSDP 2014-15, but linked it with approval from the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) and National Economic Council (NEC),” an MOCC source told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
It seems climate change is low on the government’s priority list as the planning commission’s Monday meeting decided to allocate just Rs35 million for 22 projects in the PSDP for FY 2015-16, against a demand of Rs954 million, which the MOCC needs to “meet international commitments in a befitting manner”, the source said.
The MOCC has surrendered Rs10 million for the unapproved MEA scheme, which was allegedly only included in the PSDP due to a ‘favour’ extended by a planning commission official.
Moreover, the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) meeting on April 1, 2015, revised the cost of the Establishment of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) cell to Rs59.879 million, while setting June 30, 2015 as the completion deadline.
MoCC has proposed 22 projects at total cost of Rs954.291 million for FY 2015-16.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2015.
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