The time has come to work on the development programme in Sindh as the provincial government had announced 2011-12 as the ‘year of development’, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said on Saturday.
“The first quarter of the current financial year was devoted to rescue, relief and rehabilitation of rain-affected people and now development work should be started and completed in a fast manner as the people have great expectations from the present government,” he said while presiding over a meeting of the Planning and Development Department at the Chief Minister’s House.
Shah, who is also the in-charge minister of the Planning and Development Department, said that it is responsibility of the department to plan and prepare the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and ensure that it is being properly implemented. He directed the officers of the department to monitor the progress of development schemes and ensure that the funds allocated for them are being properly utilised.
Planning and Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Israr Malik gave a detailed briefing about the ADP for 2011-12, including allocations, the amount released, the consumption of funds and the physical progress of schemes. He said that the ADP for Sindh for the 2011-12 is Rs 131 billion, including Rs 20 billion for the district governments.
He said that the Education Department has been allocated Rs 7.73 billion and Rs 758.23 million were released in the first quarter out of which Rs 286.68 were spent. The Health Department was allocated Rs 6.93 billion, Rs 888.44 million were released and Rs 357.93 million have been spent.
According to the grand total, Rs 111 billion were allocated for the first quarter in the provincial heads and an amount of Rs 15.08 billion was released, out of which R : 4.157 billion were spent. The allocations, releases and expenditure for special development packages in ADP-2011-2012 include the allocation of Rs 1 billion for Hyderabad, Rs 2 billion for Shaheed Benzirabad , Rs 2 billion for the Larkana package, Rs 800 million for the Lyari package, Rs 500 million for the Malir package, Rs 800 million for Keamari, Rs 100 million for Karachi’s under-developed areas and Rs 100 million for Karachi East.