PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Government and the bureaucracy have reportedly locked horns over the preparations for development budget as the former wants to include new projects in the upcoming budget.
According to details, the caretaker ministers have strongly advocated for inclusion of new development projects for their respective constituencies in the annual development programme for fiscal year 2023-24. The bureaucracy, however, has firmly stated that no additional projects will be added to the Annual Development Programme (ADP) due to the prevailing financial crisis.
According to sources, the KP caretaker cabinet ministers have directed their respective departments to propose new development projects, but the bureaucracy has expressed serious reservations over such inclusion. The Planning and Development (P&D) Department has also expressed concerns about the matter as the recently released guidelines for the new fiscal year’s ADP explicitly state that no new projects will be considered in the budget.
During a meeting held on June 6 at the P&D Department, officers reiterated to the ministers that no new projects could be added to the ADP. All proposals for such projects will be removed from every department, following the instructions issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The KP caretaker government is tasked with presenting a budget for the next four months, which will receive approval from the provincial cabinet after the federal budget presentation.
The mounting tensions between caretaker ministers and the bureaucracy over the inclusion of new projects in the new development program have raised concerns about the progress of the province. Experts have stressed the need for resolution of these differences for the smooth implementation of development initiatives and the overall welfare of the province.
