our correspondent
PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has utilized 99 percent of the released funds for developmental projects during financial year 2019-20 under Annual Development Program (ADP) while it made 100 percent utilization of released funds under the ADP of Newly Merged Districts (NMDs). During previous two financial years, funds utilization against the released amount remained 99 percent whereas no funds were lapsed during said period. The overall performance of provincial departments remained satisfactory despite challenging circumstance. Performance of Agriculture Department with regard to the implementation of developmental schemes was on top with 86 scores while performance of Local Government and Public Health Engineering department remained second and third respectively.
This was told in meeting held here the other day with Chief Minister Mahmood khan to review progress on ADP. Besides concerned Provincial ministers the meeting was attended by Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary and administrative secretaries of all the departments. While briefing the meeting about different aspects of Annual Development Program, it was told that overall development portfolio of the province during the last financial year was Rs. 533 billion. During previous financial year Rs 55 billion had been utilized on developmental projects in the merged areas which is 100 percent of the released funds. It was further told that during previous year, a total of 1323 monitoring reports were generated on annual developmental projects in settled districts while 227 reports were generated on projects in newly merged districts.
The forum was apprised that some 249 developmental projects stood approved under the ADP for settled districts while 88 projects were approved for merged districts. Similarly, 122 uplift projects were approved for merged districts under the Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP). It was decided in the meeting that completion of ongoing developmental schemes would be given top priority in the ADP of next financial year and efforts would be made to allocate 90 percent of ADP funds for the completion of ongoing developmental schemes.
The forum also decided that in the light of the guidelines issued by Planning Commission of Pakistan, preparations for next year ADP would be started at the earliest for which all departments will have to submit project profiles of their developmental schemes to the provincial Planning and Development department well in time. It was also decided that without proper PC-1, no developmental scheme would be included in the ADP. The forum was informed that quantifiable indicators were being developed for all the departments to evaluate and determine their performance with regard to the implementation of developmental schemes.
The chief minister directed the provincial departments to ensure timely approval of all their schemes and said that all the departments should get formal approval of their developmental schemes reflected in the current ADP by 30th October this year failing which action would be taken against the concerned administrative secretary. The chair further directed that creation of new posts for the due for completion schemes involving hiring of human resource should also be ensured well in time adding that Schedule of New Expenditures (SNEs) for hiring the required staff for such projects should stand approved well before the completion of such projects. “A mechanism be put in place to remove the observations of Planning Department on PC-1s there and then so that unnecessary delay in the implementation of public welfare schemes could be avoided”; he directed the concerned quarters adding that red letters be issued to the departments with unsatisfactory performance as per the Monitoring & Evaluation Report. Matters related to the regularization of salary based schemes of the newly merged areas also came under discussion in the meeting and it was decided that Establishment Department would prepare a case to this effect for approval of the competent forum.
