Like previous budgets, this time too, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has failed to fully utilise Annual Development Budget (ADP) of the fiscal year of 2016-17, documents revealed.
According to documents available with Pakistan Today, the provincial government utilised only 46 per cent of the allocated budget on sector-wise development projects.
Out of a total of Rs160.4 billion estimated development budget, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led provincial government has released Rs113.9 billion, of which Rs74.2 billion has been spent on sector-wise development projects.
The documents show the poor utilisation of funds allocated for the transport, labour and energy and power sectors in KP. The transport sector was allocated an estimated budget of Rs6.2 billion, of which only Rs354 million were released. However, only 0.10 per cent of the total transport budget was utilised.
Similarly, Rs125 million were allocated for the labour sector of which only Rs20 million were released. However, only Rs0.4 million (0.32 per cent) of total budget has been spent.
Similarly, utilisation in energy and power sector, one of the most important sectors, shows a similar picture. According to the documents, Rs298.6 million was allocated of which only Rs23.7mn was released. However, the department failed even to utilise one percent of the allocated budget amount. Documents show that only Rs2 million were utilised in this highly significant sector.
Similarly, development budget utilisation in the other sectors also remained low with food 1.8pc, information 3pc, auqaf, religious and minority affairs 4pc, agriculture 7.5pc, mines and minerals 10.7pc, multi-sectoral development 11.9pc, population welfare 13.4pc, social welfare 14.8pc and sports, tourism and archaeology 15.2 per cent.
Interestingly, KP government has spent more than allocated funds for constructing and repairing roads. Documents revealed that Rs14bn were allocated in the budget for roads in the ADP. However, the government has released Rs20.8bn, 50 percent more than from allocated budget.
The KP government failed to spend the maximum budget amount in the sectors which according to Imran Khan are his top priority.
EDUCATION:
PTI led provincial coalition government had declared education emergency in the province. Despite being the top priority, government only spent 54 per cent of its allocated budget. The government had allocated Rs16.9 bn for elementary and secondary education from which only Rs12.5 billion were released. However, only Rs9 billion had been utilised.
The government had allocated Rs4.7 billion for higher education, of which Rs3.4 billion were released. However, government managed to spend only Rs1.9 billion, that is 40.3 per cent of the total allocated amount.
FORESTRY:
The budget allocation for forestry in 2016-17 was Rs 2 billion, of which only Rs1.5 bn or 74 per cent was utilised. Forestry and roads were the only sectors which were heavily funded.
HEALTH:
Of the Rs 17.5 billion allocated for health in the ADP 2016-2017, only Rs4.7 billion which makes 27pc of the total allocation was utilised. Although, health was the second top priority of the PTI, its coalition government used only 27 percent of the total budget.
Apart from it, there were only three sectors- water, drinking water and sanitation and Board of revenue- which spent more than 50 per cent of allocated amount.