Unused PSDP Funds Cross Rs. 10 Trillion As Govt Fails to Expedite Project Development

Unused development funds have crossed the Rs. 10 trillion mark as key ministries have failed to spend allocated funds to expedite projects this fiscal year. Sources told ProPakistani that the carry-forward amount for development projects in Pakistan has surged past Rs. 10 trillion. The federal government has only managed to spend Rs. 542 billion out of the allocated Rs. 1,100 billion under the Federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for the current fiscal year. Sources indicate that a total of 1,071 development projects are currently underway across the country. Despite the government releasing over Rs. 1,002 billion in funds for these projects during the current fiscal year, the utilization of these funds by several ministries and divisions has been notably slow. Alarmingly, the Narcotics Division, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the Ministry of Commerce have reportedly not spent a single rupee on development projects so far. The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has also not utilized any development funds. The Ministry of Finance itself has only managed to spend a meager 7 percent of its allocated development funds. In contrast, the special areas and Gilgit-Baltistan have shown the highest utilization of development funds at 78 percent. The National Highway Authority (NHA) has utilized 74 percent of its allocated funds, while the spending on development schemes for Members of Parliament (MPs) stands at 69 percent. The Defence Production Division and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) have both spent 60 percent of their respective funds. Sources added that SPARCO has utilized 64 percent, and the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) has spent 60 percent of its allocated development funds.