Punjab Govt Plans ADP In Light Of LG System

LAHORE, Jan 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 04th Jan, 2017 ) : The Punjab government has planned to formulate its new Annual Development Programme (ADP-2017-18) in the light of new local government system.

No block allocation will be made while specific allocations for development schemes wise will be considered. Government's flagships initiatives are being properly funded. Chairman P&D Punjab Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan stated this while presiding over the consultation session on formulation of new ADP 2017-18 & mid-year review of ADP 2016-17 here at P&D Complex on Wednesday.

Provincial Secretary P&D Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, all administrative secretaries from the Punjab government, members of P&D board, Joint Chief Economist P&D, Director PERI and other higher officials concerned attended the session.

Jahanzeb Khan said that Punjab P&D had now scheduled the meeting of mid-year review of Annual Development Programme 2016-17 from January 16 to 20, 2017. In this meeting, slow pace on-going schemes being executed by the administrative departments, would be examined thoroughly and additional funding if required would be decided to complete these schemes.

He also said P&D Department had already announced deadline of January 31 for all the departments to furnish its complete status of surplus funds, which would be utilized properly and timely on the other development schemes.

P&D Chairman emphasized that administrative departments and development partners should sit together to finalize the projects for inclusion in next ADP 2017-18. In this connection, the P&D Department would accommodate the both at any stage.

He reiterated that administrative departments performance was the performance of P&D, therefore, every administrative secretary should act as a finance and planning manager. "We should work together for the better cause of good nation.

The P&D has to formulate Punjab ADP with the help of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," he added. Earlier in his opening remarks, Punjab P&D Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo said that government departments had now utilized funds of Rs 143 billion against the development schemes.

He advised the administrative departments to share the completed schemes upto 30th of June, adding that development schemes of major sectors had been received in the P&D Department for timely diversion of the funds.

P&D Department would prepare its ADP first draft from February 1 to March 15 while in May the said draft ADP would be furnished to Finance Department and then would be submitted to Assembly in June for final approval.

Addressing the development session, Finance Secretary Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh said Punjab Finance Department would ensure availability of funds with the respective administrative departments. Issues of releasing funds would have to be settled timely with Finance Department by the concerned departments.

At the development forum, it was highlighted that under new local government setup, district education authority would implement the education sector schemes in districts, and Kisan Package was being closely monitored.