PESHAWAR, Feb 27: District governments in the NWFP were given Rs1.5 billion during the first three quarters of the current financial year, to meet their development and current expenditures other than salary of their employees , according to official sources.

The provincial government, said the sources, had so far released over Rs650 million to the district governments to enable them to execute their respective district-specific development schemes. The province has earmarked a sum of Rs867 million for the district governments to execute their respective annual development programme(s).

However, a considerable amount of the funds distributed among the district governments - on the basis of their respective share determined under the Provincial Finance Commission award for the current year - went without being spent.

Of the total funds put at the disposal of the district governments during the first two quarters of the current financial year - amounting to Rs444 million - they could hardly spend about Rs40 million during the same period, making 9 per cent of the funds released and slightly over four per cent of the total funds earmarked for them for the current financial year.

Similarly, out of a total of Rs1,142 million earmarked for the district governments for their recurring expenditure - other than salary of their employees - they had so far been released a cumulative amount of about Rs850 million, in accordance with their combined share on proportionate basis for the first three quarters of the current fiscal year.

Despite the fact that the district governments, were released funds - for development and non-salary expenditures - according to their respective shares determined under the PFC award, a majority of them experienced deep financial crisis due to their growing recurring expenditure requirements.