QUETTA, June 20: The Balochistan budget documents released on Tuesday lacked a review of the Annual Development Programme of Rs9 billion for the fiscal year 2005-06 as to how much of the funds had been utilised and how many schemes had been completed and implemented.
The Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2006-07 shows a development plan of Rs10.81 billion. For this, the Balochistan government has allocated Rs6.35 billion and Rs3.760 billion is from the foreign programme assistance.
No new scheme was included in the PSDP 2006-07 and the provincial government has decided to complete the ongoing schemes proposed in the last year's ADP. All new development schemes proposed by government and opposition MPAs were returned. During the next financial year, 1071 development schemes would be implemented through the PSDP.
The absence of new development schemes is a conspicuous feature of the PSDP which amply manifests that this is a repetition of the 2005-06 ADP which remained non-implemented for want of funds.
Balochistan Finance Minister Syed Ehsan Shah in his budget speech hoped to mobilize all these resources from austerity measures and federal grants. The PSDP projects an operational shortfall of Rs1 billion. The PSDP figures differ from the development allocations given in the finance minister's speech and other budget documents where Balochistan’s contribution to the ADP has been shown at Rs7.1 billion. These are few of the discrepancies in the documents which caused confusion.
According to the PSDP, the highest allocation of Rs4.18 billion went to roads, followed by Rs1.95 billion for education and Rs740 million for the Balochistan Development Authority. The water sector will get Rs728.64 million while Rs700 million was allocated for poverty alleviation in the province.
An amount of Rs450 million will be available for the public representatives programme. The health sector was allocated Rs417 million for providing better health facilities to the people of the province. An amount of Rs259.84 million was allocated for other schemes, but they were not identified. Physical planning and housing was given Rs168 million; Rs138.84 million was allocated for the power sector, while the agriculture sector will get Rs127.35 million.
The provincial government will provide Rs101 million for the SP programme, Rs94 million for STD & RES, and Rs77 million for the social welfare sector in the fiscal year 2006-07. For public health, the engineering sector will be given an amount of Rs157.36 million, the mineral development sector will get Rs70 million and Rs59 million will be given to the industries department for implementing four schemes.
The livestock sector, badly affected by the long-spell of drought, will receive Rs29.71 million, while an amount of Rs22 million will be provided to the Balochistan Coastal Development Authority.
The lowest allocation of Rs1 million was given to wildlife. The Gwadar Development Authority will get Rs3.50 million. Information technology would be provided Rs10.65 million, forestry Rs9.14 million, women development Rs11 million, and the local government Rs14.83 million in the next financial year.
