PR No.130 Next Year PSDP’ S Proposals Should Align V-2025 And Government’s Manifesto: Ahsan Iqbal Islamabad: March 16, 2016

Federal Minister Planning, Development & Reform Ahsan Iqbal has impressed upon the federal ministries and departments to come up with the proposals for next year’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), which are linked with Vision-2025 and fulfillment of manifesto of the government. Government will entertain only those projects which are aligned with the future growth roadmap and will have a higher development impact. Present government is giving top priority to energy and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, leaving it with limited financial resources to finance other development projects that requires the ministries to present high priority projects. Federal Minister Planning & Development made these remarks while chairing a preparatory meeting for PSDP 2016-17 at Planning Commission of Pakistan. The meeting was attended by Secretaries, Additional Secretaries and other high officials of federal ministries and departments. Ahsan Iqbal issued guidelines to the ministries to formulate the proposals for next PSDP by keeping management practices. Ahsan Iqbal said that proposals for next financial year PSDP should be prepared in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the government declared as Pakistan Development Goals for the sake of our own future. He also called upon them to raise their capacity building to utilize the allocated funds as well as preparation of PC-1 because of lack of capacity on part of departments to formulate technically and financially sound PC-1 of the projects is creating bad impact. Minister noted that under-utilization of allocated funds against some projects signals toward serious lacunas in public sector’s capacity to utilize the fund. Minister also sought the details of utilization of funds so far during the current financial year. He also directed for carrying out the assessment of unapproved projects in PSDP and said that otherwise, one not approved within March would be discarded. Ahsan Iqbal said that due to financial constraints, the ministries should workout plans to encourage public-private partnership and BOT model to attract private financing in PSDP. He urged that ministries should come up with those proposals, which would provide relief to masses in line with the manifesto of PML-N government. “Present government completed half of its constitutional tenure and would ensure to fulfill the promises made in its manifesto through its development agenda in the rest of the period”, he maintained. He said that PSDP proposals should be prepared in such a way that it would give a new look to the public sector development portfolio and also urged for classification of project management in terms of utilization of funds to award grades to the best and poor performing ministries.

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