Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh told the Senate in reply to a point of order on Wednesday that despite financial constraints, the government was making efforts to complete development projects to increase the pace of socio-economic development in the country. The minister said it was a priority of the federal government to quickly finish projects that were close to being completed.
He said the government planned to ensure transparency in expenditures and enhance revenue collection. Shaikh said that under the new financial arrangement, around Rs 350 billion in additional resources had been given to the provinces, which increased the provincial development budget by 82 percent.
“Now it is their (provinces’) responsibility to take on their job seriously and set their priorities for development,” the minister added.