Uplift spending down to Rs115 billion

The federal development spending has slowed down to Rs115 billion in the first five months of this fiscal year due to fiscal constraints but this has not stopped the government from funding more provincial schemes, thinning out the already scarce resources. Development expenses remained at Rs115 billion during the July-November period of this fiscal year. This was far lower than the Rs376 billion that the Ministry of Planning had authorised for spending during this period under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2024-25. The significant gap between authorisation and actual expenditures underscores challenges in the fund release process, scarcity of resources, slow progress on schemes, and the capacity to spend allocated funds. The Rs115 billion spending accounted for just 10% of the annual downward revised development budget, causing delays in crucial projects but compensating for fiscal slippages in other areas.