Rs2,201 billion allocated for development programme: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has announced that the allocation of Rs2,201 billion was approved for the development programme for the next fiscal year, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Asad Umar, while conducting the media briefing regarding the allocations for the Public Sector Development Programme, said that the volume of PSDP allocation was increased up to over 36 per cent for the fiscal year 2021-22.

He detailed that 56 per cent funds of the total estimate were allocated for the energy and transport projects, whereas, 10 per cent funds were allocated for the water sector. Asad Umar was of the view that the nation could not be united through tanks and guns. He added that it needs uniform development in all areas to make the nation united.

The federal minister said that five per cent budget allocation will be spent on science and technology and information technology (IT). The projects worth Rs240 billion were approved that would be completed with the collaboration of the government and private sector.

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The projects include Sialkot-Kharian and Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorways while Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project will also be completed through public-private partnership, said Umar.

Rs85 billion has been allocated in the new budget for three big dams to irrigate over 300,000 acres of land, said Umar.

The federal government will spend Rs100 billion in the next fiscal year to improve the power distribution system. He said that the Centre has doubled the funds for higher education in the previous two years. In the fiscal year 2021-22, Rs14 billion will be allocated to plant 10 billion trees across the country.

Asad Umar further said that Rs54 billion has been allocated for the uplift of the newly-merged districts of former FATA. Rs87 billion was allocated for the projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he added.

He detailed that Pakistan People’s Party-led Sindh government has not constructed a single inch of motorway in the province, however, the federal government is spending Rs200 billion on the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway project. Besides this, development work is underway on different projects worth Rs90 billion in Sindh.

Umar said that the federal government is also making efforts to end encroachments and cleaning the drainage nullahs in Sindh. He also said that Rs25 billion of funds are being spent on water projects in Sindh.