QUETTA, June 24: The Balochistan Government could utilize only 25 per cent of the development funds allocated under the annual development plan (ADP) during current financial year.

This was stated by the Provincial Finance Minister, Syed Ehsan Shah while replying to questions of the newsmen in the post-budget press conference here on Thursday. "We could use only 25 per cent development funds of the current ADP," minister said and blamed the officials of the departments concerned for this under-utilization.

"Even PC-1 of various proposed projects were not prepared by the officials concerned," he said. However, he said, that this practice would not be repeated during next financial years.

He said that Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf had taken serious notice of this situation and directed the planning and development department that all projects and schemes should be implemented in time.

The Finance Minister said that Balochistan was not the only province but other provinces too could not utilize their development budget 100 per cent. Replying to a question, he said that the funds not utilized were lapsed and would be spent on the ongoing development schemes during next financial year.

Syed Ehsan Shah said that the provincial government had also observed that 72 autonomous corporations existing in the country were not spending their funds in Balochistan. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) was the only corporation in the country whose investment could be seen in the province.

He said that the provincial government had decided to approach these autonomous bodies for playing their role in the economic development of the province and provide jobs to the educated youths of Balochistan. He said that presently all burden of providing jobs was on the shoulders of the provincial government.

"The Provincial government alone could not provide jobs to every person," Finance Minister told a questioner. He said that government has planned to create around 11,000 jobs in different government departments to resolve this issue to some extent.

He said that during next financial year around 600 doctors including 250 lady doctors would be provided jobs. He said that with the appointment of new doctors government would be able to provide more health facilities in the province specially in far flung areas of Balochistan.

He said that government had decided to send mobile medical teams with specialists doctors in the rural areas of the province for providing medical facilities to the people.

Responding to another question, Syed Ehsan Shah said that for bridging the huge deficit in the next year's budget, provincial government had asked Islamabad to pay all outstanding dues of the Balochistan government in relation to gas development surcharge (GDS) and gas royalty.

He said that Balochistan's over Rs5 billion are outstanding against federal government. He said that due to financial crisis Balochistan has obtained Rs5 billion as over-draft from the State Bank.