PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s eight administrative departments under a rapid development program while six administrative departments under Annual Development Program (ADP) failed to spend even a single penny in the tribal districts since their 2018 merger with the province.
Out of the Rs62.40 billion allocated for the two separate programs for the tribal districts, Rs18.88 billion could be spent which constitutes 30 percent of the allocated funds and 41 percent of the existing funds.
The sluggish use of the ADP by the administrative departments has led to fears of further reduction in the development funds by the federal government for tribal districts. Therefore, the provincial government has directed the administrative departments to expedite the use of funds.
The official data shows that only the department of industries could utilize 100percent of its uplift funds in the tribal districts.
According to Planning and development department, under the merged District Development Program, the excise and taxation, food, rehabilitation and resettlement and social welfare departments could spend any fund.
Similarly, the Department of Higher Education has spent 5 percent, the Board of Revenue 7 percent, Science Technology and Information Technology 8 percent, Irrigation 11 percent, health 12 percent, mines and minerals could spend only 13 percent of development funds.
Similarly, sports and tourism could spend 13 percent (113 million), finance 22percent (2.2 million), law and justice 22percent (22 million), information 23percent (7.6 million), multi-sector development 25percent (188 million), municipalities 27percent (248 million), provision of clean drinking water 27percent or 286 million, forest department 29percent or 116 million and agriculture 30percent or 206 million.
The energy department could 33percent ie 275 million, primary and secondary education 38percent of ie 740 million, endowments and Hajj minority affairs 38percent ie 26 million, the welfare of population 41 percent or 17 million, construction and communication 45percent ie 1.81 billion, industry and handicrafts used 98percent or Rs515 million. In total, Rs17.10 billion out of Rs26.42 billion was released under the merged District Development Program out of which Rs5.48 billion have been spent on development projects.
Under the Accelerated Development Program, the Board of Revenue, Environment, Housing, Law and Justice, Minerals, Population Welfare, Public-Private Partnership and Science Technology and Information Technology failed to spend any funds.
While from the current fund, endowments and Hajj could use only 1percent, tourism and sports 1percent (22 million), primary and secondary education 3percent (128 million), food department 14percent (9.8 million), health 23percent (708 million) and higher education 23percent ie 131 million, irrigation 33percent ie 687 million, social welfare 42percent or 59 million, forestry 43percent or 34 million, information 58percent or 29 million, agriculture 59percent or 823 million, clean water supply 60percent or 959 million, urban development 67percent or 900 million, Construction and communications could spend 77percent or Rs 5.77 billion, rehabilitation and resettlement 87percent or 859 million, transport 91percent or 54 million, multi-sector development 91percent or 643 million, energy department could spend 100percent or Rs1.11 billion and industry department utilized 100percent (Rs205 million) of its development funds.
In total, out of the Rs36 billion allocated under the Accelerated Development Program, Rs28.5 billion was released out of which Rs13.87 billion was spent by the administrative departments in tribal districts.
