Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) has taken lead among all the four provinces by spending the highest percentage, i.e. 90 percent, of the financial allocation made under Annual Development Program (ADP) of the previous financial year (2014-15).
An increase of 11% had been recorded in 2014-15 ADP spending compared to 2013-14 and it also remained the highest among the four provinces over the previous five year period. The unprecedented progress on this account was achieved due to the present provincial government’s commitment as well as the financial, administrative and regulatory discipline introduced through certain reforms initiatives of the KP government.
This was disclosed at a high level and well attended meeting held at the new Cabinet Room of the Civil Secretariat. Pervez Khattak chaired the meeting which extensively reviewed the ADP 2015-16 as well as first quarter of the current year ADP.
The meeting was told that the factors like regular periodic review of status of the schemes at theCM and Chief Secretary Level, fast track Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) meetings, regular internal review by the planning & Development (P&D) department and decentralization of re-appropriation powers helped record spending under ADP 2014-15.
Highlighting the provincial government’s development performance during the previous year, the Secretary P&D, Zarfar Ali Shah revealed that a formal Economic growth Strategy was approved and implemented by P&D which also raised foreign assistance of Rs. 40 billion and managed financing of another US$ 154 million for next five years from Multi Donor Trust Fund while the Chief minister’s high level dialogues with development partners also helped achieve the targets.
The meeting was informed that under the CM directives the KP government had demanded of the federal government inclusion of three mega projects of estimated cost of Rs. 5.5 billion in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project but received no response so far by the central government. The Secretary P&D told that the special initiative taken by the CM for providing sasta (subsidized) aata and ghee to 743,201 poor families of the province and of Right to information and right to services Commission had been operationalised while Public private Partnership nodes were established in 13 departments to give them autonomy.
It was told that for the current FY Rs. 142 billion were allocated for the ADP out of which 42 billion (30%) will be disbursed to the local governments and approval for 164 new ADP schemes has so far been accorded by PDWP out of total 204 projects that were considered.
CM on this occasion approved constitution of the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) and directed to convene its first meeting on Monday to ensure release of the ADP funds to the local government. He earlier had expressed annoyance over delay in notifying the PFC despite completion of the election process and nominations of the commission’s members. Issuing orders to the finance and local government departments he said that that the district government must face no problem.
