Despite faltering development spending in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, successive governments have continued allocating funds for parliamentarians’ discretionary schemes, according to official data. While parliamentarians have utilized Rs38 billion out of the allocated Rs90 billion for their schemes, development activities under other federal ministries struggled with a combined expenditure of just Rs107 billion during this period. The total expenditure under the entire Public Sector Development Program(PSDP) stood at Rs237 billion, over Rs13 billion less than the previous year. Special areas received the most funding with Rs46.6 billion, followed by Rs37.98 billion for parliamentarians’ schemes. Despite these allocations, actual development expenditure has fallen short across various sectors, with significant funds remaining unutilized. This ongoing trend of under-funded infrastructure development is likely to continue for the third consecutive year, impacting the quality of life for citizens amidst rising inflation.”
