Govt Allocates Rs. 8.74 Billion for PTI Govt’s Space Center and 2 Satellite Projects

The government has allocated Rs. 8.74 billion for nine SUPARCO-related Public Sector Development Projects (PSDP) in the fiscal budget 2022-23. All of these projects were approved by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government with a total cost of about Rs. 100.8 billion, including 70 percent of foreign funding. Of the allocated amount, Rs. 6.7 billion had been spent until June this year, while Rs. 94.072 billion were carried forward from the last fiscal budget. This year, the government has proposed to allocate another Rs. 8.704 billion for these ongoing projects, including Rs. 1.69 billion in foreign aid. According to a budget document available with ProPakistani, three of the key projects on the list are the establishment of the Pakistan Space Center (PSC) in Gilgit-Baltistan (Rs. 3.95 billion), Pakistan Multi-Mission Communication Satellite System (Rs. 3.7 billion), and Pakistan Optical Remote Sensing Satellite (Rs. 500 million). The PTI government decided to build a space station center in Gilgit-Baltistan. The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ENCEC) in November 2018 with a total approved cost of Rs. 29.502 billion, including a foreign aid of Rs. 18.32 billion. About Rs. 2.7 billion have been spent on the project until the start of June, while Rs. 26.77 billion were carried forward from the fiscal budget 2021-22. This year, the government has allocated another Rs. 3.394 billion, including an Rs. 1.2 billion foreign aid. Pakistan Multi-Mission Communication Satellite System (Pak-Sat MM1) was approved by the ECNEC in January 2020 with an estimated cost of Rs. 39.73 billion, along with a foreign aid of Rs. 3.19 billion. Rs. 1.953 billion have been spent on the project till June, while Rs. 37.78 billion were carried forward from FY 2021-22. This year, the government has allocated another Rs. 3.394 billion, including Rs. 1.2 billion foreign aid for the project. The ECNEC approved the Pakistan Optical Remote Sensing (POSS-02) in November last year. The estimated cost was Rs. 27.91 billion, including a foreign aid of Rs. 21.23 billion. Only Rs. 100 million have been spent thus far, while the remaining amount would be carried forward in the fiscal budget 2022-23. This year, the government has allocated another Rs. 500 million for the project with no foreign funding.