Daily Times

LAHORE: The Punjab government has failed to utilise the total allocation of funds approved for annual development programmes in Financial Year 2015-16, as only 63% of the revised funds were utilised in
first nine months of the ongoing fiscal.

According to documents available with Daily Times, the Punjab government had approved Rs 300.965 billion of revised estimate for annual development programmes in FY16. However, the provincial government could only spend Rs 100.657 billion during the three quarters of the current fiscal year.

The government allocated Rs 12.4 billion for special projects of which 100% funds were utilised while Rs 29.20 million of revised estimate were allocated for heritage department of which 47% funds were utilised.

Similarly, for health department, Rs 22.635 billion were allocated but ratio of utilised funds was only 38%. For the population welfare programme, Rs 81.4 million were allocated while the ratio of utilised funds stood at 38%. For housing and urban development and public health engineering departments, Rs 31.65 billion were allocated but only 68%funds were utilised. For the social welfare programmes, Rs 53 million funds were allocated of which 75% funds were utilised.

The Punjab government approved an amount of Rs 19.73 billion for education department but the ratio of utilised funds was only 59%. For higher education, Rs 11.25 billion were allocated of which only 61% were utilised.

Similarly, the government approved 84.90 million for special education, however the ratio of utilised funds was 29%. For literacy, Rs 1.869 billion were approved of which 51% funds were utilised.

For women development programme, Rs 50 million funds were allocated while only 35% was utilised. For planning and development, Rs 5.688 billion were approved of which 88% funds were utilised.

Similarly, for local government and city district, Rs 6.83 billion were allocated but the ratio of utilised funds was 61%. A sum of Rs 7.425 billion was approved for district development programme, however utilised funds stood at 78%.

Communication and works utilised 79% of Rs 87.14 billion allocated for it, 82% of Rs 83.449 billion earmarked for highways were utilised, 71% of the total Rs 35.372 billion were used in irrigation projects and 49% of the total Rs 14 billion for energy sector were utilised.

Forest, wildlife and fisheries used 47 of the total Rs 2.20 billion, food department used 52% of the total Rs 72.50 million, livestock and dairy development used 68% of the total Rs 4.650 billion, industries used 68% of the total Rs 3.393 billion allocated in FY16.

Similarly, 49% used in mineral resources, 45% spent in IT sector, 22% for labour and human resource, 31% in home emergency services, 16% in climate, 42% in culture development, 84% in Auqaf department and 50% for human rights development.