Bogged down with a serious financial crunch, the Sindh government is unlikely to include new development schemes in the upcoming Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2011-12. All unapproved development schemes of the ADP would get the nod, however, no new scheme would be included in the upcoming Sindh’s budget for the next fiscal year, sources told Pakistan Today.
The Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) and the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) are mulling over development schemes with the chief secretary instructions that no new scheme be included in the ADP. The ongoing schemes, which have reached a fairly advance level of implementation, should be provided with adequate funds so that they could be completed by the next year.
Under the rules, the DDWP is authorised to approve development schemes worth Rs 500 million, PDWP Rs 2 billion, while the Central Development Working Party, Islamabad could approve schemes worth Rs 5 billion. The sources said that the administrative departments had been instructed to closely examine the development programmes of their respective departments and the allocation of the funding could not exceed the current year’s allocation.
If the administrative department feels that the inclusion of certain schemes is essential, then a summary for the chief minister should be floated through the Sindh’s Planning and Development Department for inclusion in the ADP as well as allocation of funds, the sources disclosed.
The officials said that a meeting of Inter-Departmental Priority Committee is being held nowadays under the chairmanship of the additional chief secretary (Development) to approve the priority schemes for inclusion in the ADP.
