Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) under section 53 (a) of the Local Government Act 2013 allocated 30 per cent development budget of the total KP budget for local government, but only released Rs 12 billion of the total Rs 30 billion.
According to the analysis of Center for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA), the provincial government is struggling in realising 2015-16 budget estimates revenue and has to cut down its development budget.
CGPA Programme Manager Malik Masood said that Rs 15.13 billion has been released under district ADP out of the total Rs 30 billion allocated budget for districts, adding that village councils and neighborhood councils have received Rs 6.5 billion out of Rs 13.1 billion allocation, while tehsils and town councils have received Rs 4.2 billion out of Rs 8.5 billion and the district councils have received Rs 4.3 billion out of Rs 8.5 billion allocation.
“The funds were distributed under the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) formula that comprises 60 per cent on population, 20 per cent on backwardness and 20 per cent on lag in infrastructure,” he said.
He added that under the PFC, Torghar and Kohistan were the most backwards districts of KP securing 1.97 per cent budget out of total 20 percent under backwardness followed by Shangla which could only get 1.26 per cent of the total.
On the other hand, he told that Peshawar secured 6.83 per cent out of 60 per cent under the population head followed by Mardan 4.93 per cent and Swat 4.25 per cent respectively.
Similarly, Peshawar secured 2.1 per cent under lag in infrastructure out of 20 per cent followed by Mardan and Swat securing 1.23 per cent each.
Masood said Peshawar got a total Rs 1,516 million for village councils, tehsils and districts, Mardan Rs 1089 million, Swat Rs 964 million, Mansehra Rs 795 million, Swabi Rs 792 million, Charsadda Rs 786 million, DI Khan Rs 716 million, Abbottabad Rs 710 million, Nowshera Rs 684 million, Lower Dir Rs 649 million, Kohat Rs 598 million, Haripur Rs 596 million, Bannu Rs 565 million, Upper Dir Rs 526 million, Bunner Rs459 million, Laki Marwat Rs458 million, Shangla Rs 455 million, Kohistan Rs 440 million, Malakand Rs 392 million, Karak Rs 386 million, Battagram Rs 345 million, Chitral Rs 339 million, Hangu Rs 315 million, Tank Rs 291 million and Torghar Rs 263 million respectively.
CGPA Programme Manager Malik Masood stated that the district ADP has been reduced owing to the provincial revenue shortfall.
However, the revised allocations are yet to be determined for district ADP.
He demanded KP government to realistically estimate revenue estimates ahead of 2016-17 budget as the provincial government is facing shortages in its own provincial estimated revenues in 2015-16 budget, besides the shortages in receipts from federal consolidated funds.
He also urged the provincial government to not cut down the district ADP as it will discourage the local governments, “the government should also improve its timely utilisation capacity of development funds,” demanded Masood.