May 16, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 28, 1428

PESHAWAR, May 15: The NWFP government has injected an additional Rs1.217 billion to complete the maximum uplift projects.

With the increase the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2006-7 has reached an all-time high.

Sources at the finance department told Dawn that the provincial government, eyeing the forthcoming general elections, wanted the completion of development projects initiated during the past four years.

The government had announced a Rs26.63 billion ADP at the beginning of the current financial year; which has now reached Rs27.848 billion.

According to the sources, the additional amount has been pooled for those projects which are being executed through provincial resources. The government initially had allocated Rs14.957 billion for the component, which now stood at Rs16.174 billion, they explained.

Another source pointed out that keeping in view the ‘zeal’ of the ruling alliance towards the completion of maximum development projects ahead of the general elections, the government might put in more resources to achieve development targets.

Apart from the ADP component that is executed through the province’s own resources, the allocations for the remaining components would remain unchanged by the end of the current fiscal year, the officials said.

The ADP has Rs7.679 billion component of foreign funded projects, Rs419.31 million for population welfare, Rs963.39 million for districts’ development programmes and Rs2.611 billion as special programme.

The provincial ADP component has 971 uplift schemes, of which 411 are due for completion by June 30; however, estimates compiled at the end of the third quarter of the current fiscal year show that the implementing agencies have completed only 14 projects, leaving 397 incomplete.

Officials argue that the performance of implementing agencies in terms of funds utilisation during the current year has shown slight improvement, however, they are unlikely to meet the development targets, mainly because of lack of technical know-how and capacity.

Giving sector-wise details of the projects which are due for completion by end of the fiscal year, the officials said that the road sector had the highest number of schemes in the category. In the sector, 82 projects are due for completion, whereas in nine months not a single project could be completed.

Likewise, the schools and literacy department has 59 projects, of which 11 have been completed. In the health department, none of the 55 projects could be completed during the period.

The number of projects that are due for completion by the end of the year are: higher education, 19; building, 16; drinking water supply schemes, 40; urban development, 3; water, 36; agriculture, 11; forestry, 14; industries, 22; regional development, 16; environment, 3; tourism, 10; social welfare, 15; Auqaf and Haj, 4; science and technology, 5; and one project in the power sector.

Except the industries sector, where one project had been completed, no project could be completed in the rest of the sectors during the first nine months, the sources added.