Caretakers asked to let elected govt decide on provincial projects

• Rs34.4 billion have been allocated for 76 provincial projects.
• Provinces are not ready to execute the projects themselves.
• Balochistan has proposed to continue projects under PSDP.

ISLAMABAD: Even before the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) is convened, the governments of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have advised the centre to let the elected government decide on the provincial projects, The News reported on Friday.

Citing the sources, the publication reported that the three provinces advised the caretaker government to leave the decision of the provincial projects’ future to the elected government. 

They opposed the shelving of the provincial projects, funded by the federal development budget, and declined to execute the projects on their own too. Therefore, the provinces have advised leaving the decision of the provincial projects’ future to the next elected government.

The sources said Sindh has declared that the province is facing financial difficulties, so it is not in favour of halting the projects. However, Sindh has supported the stopping of releasing additional funds for the schemes of parliamentarians.

The sources added that KP has also opposed the halting of the provincial projects due to financial difficulties, while Balochistan has proposed to continue the projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

The sources also said the NEC meeting, with the caretaker prime minister in chair, is scheduled to be held on January 29. The meeting will consider halting 76 provincial projects with zero progress worth Rs121 billion and removing them from the federal development budget.

Amounts totalling Rs34.4 billion have been allocated for the 76 provincial projects with zero progress in the current financial year’s budget. The sources said that there is also a proposal to ban provincial projects from the PSDP in the future.

They added that the meeting would also consider the proposal to impose a ban on releasing additional funds for the schemes of parliamentarians.