Balochistan government has made a 14% increase in its annual development program for the next fiscal year by allocating Rs 35.8 billion as compared to the previous fiscal year’s Rs 31.3 billion. The development program includes Rs 33.2 billion from its revenue surplus and Rs. 2.6 billion from foreign project assistance loan. The Provincial Public Sector Development program (PSDP) for the next year comprises of Rs 107.3 billion, making it 33 per cent more of the province’s total revenue expenditure and almost 20 per cent of the provincial consolidated fund (comprising revenue and capital income both). While over 40 per cent, almost Rs.14.1 billion, of the total development allocation will be spent on 720 ongoing schemes, whereas the remaining Rs 21.6 billion will be spent on 732 new schemes.
PSDP focuses mainly on infrastructural development in education, health and safe drinking water sectors with a view to bring about a change in social development indicators. The allocation for the development of economic infrastructure in the sectors like agriculture, irrigation, small dams, thermal power, industries, mining, etc has registered an increase of just over 33 per cent to the tune of Rs 20 billion which is 55 per cent of the total development outlay as compared to Rs15.4 billion of current financial year.
