Govt’s Development Projects to Cost 10 Times More Than Estimates

The Planning Commission has revealed that the total cost to complete 1,071 development projects across the country is over Rs. 13,815 billion, a figure that is nearly ten times higher than the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) budget. According to official documents seen by ProPakistani, an additional Rs. 8,935 billion will be needed to complete these projects, with the total estimated completion date set for 2035, assuming an annual development budget of Rs. 1,000 billion is released on schedule. The breakdown of costs shows that Rs. 375 billion has already been spent on these projects. An amount of Rs. 1,173 billion is required for those undertaken in partnership with provincial governments. Balochistan has 200 projects costing Rs. 1,048 billion, Punjab has 172 projects that require funding of Rs. 707 billion, Sindh’s 117 projects will cost Rs. 613 billion, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 101 projects will need financing of Rs. 642 billion. For Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Rs. 44 billion is required for development schemes, while Gilgit-Baltistan needs Rs. 443 billion for 37 projects. In this fiscal year, Sindh is expected to receive Rs. 171 billion, Balochistan Rs. 129 billion, and Punjab Rs. 118 billion, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs. 52 billion, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Rs. 44 billion, and Gilgit-Baltistan Rs. 65 billion, with another Rs. 74 billion earmarked for merged districts.