KARACHI, Feb 4: The Sindh government has embarked on a comprehensive strategy for development under the Khushal Pakistan Programme (KPP), in addition to the Sindh Annual Development Programme.

The total development outlay for the year 2002-2003 is over Rs14.48 billion, which is 44 per cent higher than the revised estimates of Rs10.067 billion for 2001-2002.

Rs2.8 billion earmarked for the KPP will be paid by the provincial government out of the federal transfers of Rs2.5 billion under the GST. The government already has releazed one billion rupees on January 15th for continuing development work on the ongoing schemes.

Sindh Chief Secretary KB Rind, presiding over a high-level meeting of senior officials, asked the officials concerned to speed up the pace of development so that the development projects in the province could be completed before the end of the fiscal year.

He stressed the need to reinitiate abandoned schemes and identify the villages located around gas-based areas so that people could benefit from them.

The chief secretary directed the education department to expedite the implementation of the cadet college project in Ghotki, and asked the finance secretary to ascertain the availability of funds for the construction work.

The meeting was informed that, in Sindh besides the ADP and KPP schemes, projects under the Drought Emergency Relief Assistance and the Village Electrification Programme were being executed.

Additional Chief Secretary (P&D), Manzoor Bhutto, informed the meeting that so far 147 families affected by the Rainee Canal project had been compensated.

The ADP 2002-03 includes 872 schemes, of which 752 are ongoing and the remaining 120 are new. Rs4869 million have been earmarked for the ongoing schemes and Rs2131 million for the new ones.

The priorities include completion of the ongoing schemes and provision of counterpart funds to foreign-aided projects.

The highest priority will be given to education, public health sector, rural development, transport and communication, water and power sector, agriculture, forest, and wildlife.

From the total ADP allocation of Rs7000 million, individual schemes of districts will receive Rs3874 million, whereas the remaining Rs3126 million have been earmarked for inter-district schemes and foreign aided projects which are considered provincial projects.

The district governments will receive Rs1429.230 million for the new schemes, out of Rs3874 million. Under the new strategy, out of 872 schemes 400 are to be completed by the end of June 2003. 30 per cent of the Rs2.8 billion KPP fund will be incurred on schemes for providing water and sanitation through the Taluka municipal administration.

Out of Rs1000 million releazed by the government for the projects being implemented under the KPP, the Karachi district’s share is Rs236.200 million, of Hyderabad Rs82.400 million, Dadu Rs57.200 million, Thatta Rs47.700 million, Badin Rs47.500 million, Mirpurkhas Rs56.200 million, Sanghar Rs52.600 million, Thar at Mithi Rs44 million, Sukkur Rs38 million, Nawabshah Rs42.700 million, Naushero Feroze Rs43.100 million, Khairpur Rs54.300 million, Ghotki Rs42.700 million, Larkana Rs62.500 million, Shikarpur Rs39.600 million and Jacobabad Rs53.300 million.