PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had allocated Rs99.11 billion for the tribal districts in the annual development program of the current financial year but until August only Rs8.2 billion could be released.
The Finance Department couldn’t release a single rupee to 10 departments, including the Awqaf, Environment, Establishment and Administration, Excise Department, Food Department, Housing Department, Labour, Department of Minerals, Department of Population, and Tehsil administrations. The provincial government also included 3% of the NFC share in the annual development program for the merger. In terms of the NFC share, the provincial government has added Rs34.6 billion to the annual development program of the tribal districts but till August no fund was released to any department.
According to the documents of provincial finance department, in tribal districts the KP government has released Rs718 million out of the allocated Rs2.7 billion to agriculture department, Rs11 million out of Rs396 million allocated for board of revenue, and Rs557 million out of Rs2.8 billion allocated for public health.
The government has released Rs689 million out of Rs7.9 billion allocated for elementary and
secondary education, Rs333 million out of Rs2.5 billion allocated for energy and power projects in the annual development program of tribal districts.
Similarly, Rs1 million out of 10 million allocated to the finance department, Rs72 million out of Rs276 million to the forest department, Rs622 million out of Rs5.3 billion to the health department, and Rs159 million out of the Rs1.3 million allocated to higher education department. Rs126 million out of Rs1 billion has been released to the Department of Interior, Rs216 million out of 1.3 billion rupees allocated to the industry department, Rs1.4 million out of Rs64.6 million for the development projects of the information department, Rs23.6 million out of one billion has been released to the law department.
The report said that Rs20.5 million out of Rs871 million has been released to the local government, Rs712 million out of Rs7 billion has been released for multi-sector development.
According to the documents, Rs194 million out of Rs1.5 billion has been released to the relief department, Rs2.7 billion out of Rs13.5 billion for roads, Rs6.3 million out of 335 million allocated for social welfare, Rs156 million has been released out of Rs2.5 billion to sports and tourism, Rs9.9 million out of Rs86 million to science and technology, Rs8.5 million out of Rs59 million allocated for transport, Rs335 million out of Rs2.6 billion allocated for development, Rs466 million has been released out of Rs4.2 billion allocated for irrigation by the finance department.
According to sources in the finance department, most of the annual development program for the tribal districts after the merger was being spent under the Accelerated Integrated Program but no funds has been released to these projects after the federal government stopped funding to the province. According to sources, on the other hand, the provincial government has included projects in the annual development program but unable to fund it due to financial difficulties.
