Punjab government unveiled its Rs220 billion Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the fiscal year 2011-12 in the Provincial Assembly, here on Friday, which represents an increase of Rs26.5 billion or (13.7 per cent) from last year’s budget estimates.
Budget documents indicate that the government has earmarked Rs188 billion for the core development programmes, while the rest is allocated for the chief minister’s initiatives. Figures show that the provincial government has allocated Rs71.63 billion for social sectors, Rs59 billion for infrastructure development, Rs10.52 billion for production sectors, Rs11.75 billion for services sectors and Rs5.89 billion for other sectors, including environment; information culture and youth affairs; religious affairs and auqaf; human rights and minorities affairs; access to justice programme and planning and development.
In addition, Rs29.2 billion has been allocated for special programmes and packages. Official estimates reveal that Punjab government has allocated Rs23.9 billion for education, registering an increase of Rs600 million (meager 2.58 per cent) in comparison to the allocation of Rs23.3 billion in FY 2010-11. Figures reveal that the provincial government has earmarked Rs14.5 billion for school education, Rs6.5 billion for higher education, Rs500 million for special education and Rs800 million for literacy. However, documents point out that the government failed to use Rs9.47 billion (40.65 per cent) from the education budget during the current fiscal year.
Budget document show that the government has allocated Rs14.8 billion for health, Rs1.6 billion for sports, Rs10 billion for water supply and sanitation, Rs935 million for social protection, Rs15 billion for regional planning and Rs7 billion for local governments and community development.
On infrastructure development, the government has allocated Rs59 billion that represents a decline of Rs260 million in the budget allocations from FY 2010-11. However, figures show that the government could not divert the allocated resources owing to floods and other constraints, which resulted in the government having to cut the infrastructure budget by one-fifth for the current fiscal year. Figures show that the provincial government has earmarked Rs36.65 billion for roads, Rs11.25 billion for irrigation, Rs2.6 billion for public building and Rs8.5 billion for urban development. Budget document reveals that the government has made a major cut of 38.45 per cent in the expenditures of public buildings.
Numbers show that the government has allocated Rs10.52 billion for production sectors, including agriculture, forestry, livestock, industries, etc., that witnesses an increase of 168.84 per cent in comparison to the revised allocations of FY 2010-11. The government has allocated Rs3.4 billion for agriculture, Rs1.23 billion for forestry, wildlife and fisheries, Rs230 million for food, Rs2.5 billion for livestock, Rs2.86 billion for industries, commerce and investment and Rs300 million for mines and minerals.
The government has also witnessed increase in the development of services sectors as it has earmarked Rs11.75 billion, which registers an increase of 120.33 per cent from the revised estimates of FY 2010-11. A major portion of this allocation has been reserved for information technology, transport and emergency services as the government has earmarked Rs2 billion, Rs7.3 billion and Rs2.1 billion for these sectors, respectively. However, labour, human resources development and tourism are the most neglected services in the provincial budget for FY 2011-12.
On account of other development sectors, provincial budget has provision of Rs5.89 billion. Documents indicate that Punjab government has earmarked Rs350 million for environment, Rs170 million for information, culture and youth affairs, Rs150 million for religious affairs and auqaf, Rs220 million for human rights and minority affairs and Rs5 billion for planning and development. ADP numbers also show that the government has allocated Rs29.2 billion for special programmes and packages of which Rs12 billion is allocated for district and town administrations development programmes, Rs1.2 billion for Lahore Ring Road, Rs1.5 billion for three new medical colleges, Rs5.5 billion for district packages and Rs9 billion for coal-based thermal power generation.
In addition, the government has earmarked Rs3 billion for Danish School System, Rs2 billion for Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF), Rs6 billion for Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), Rs2 billion for TEVTA, Rs8.5 billion for Millennium Development Goals (MDG), Rs1.2 billion for Ashina Housing Scheme, Rs2.86 billion for population welfare and Rs6.44 billion for Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company, Punjab Land Development Company, Solid Waste Management, Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Company and Punjab Agriculture Research Board.
