Public sector development program fy2015: An overview

The National Economic Council has approved National Development Program for FY2015 at Rs1,175 billion, which is larger by 1.7 percent when compared to budget predicted in FY2014. Total National Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for FY2015 is 4 percent of GDP. The development program of FY2015 comprises of Rs525 billion as federal PSDP counting international aid of Rs102 billion and Rs650 billion for provincial ADPs counting Rs90 billion international aids.

The federal PSDP 2015 has made a starting in transforming its structure, content and composition to meet the aims of Pakistan Vision 2025 and the strategic structure of the 11th Five Year Plan. The Vision 2025 offers Pakistan’s long–term progress agenda based on seven pillars such as developing human and social capital, attaining maintained, inclusive and indigenous development, governance, institutional reform & modernization of the public sector, water, energy & food security, private sector led development and entrepreneurship, developing a competitive skilled economy by value addition, and innovation of transportation infrastructure & larger regional connectivity.

Latest strategic and critical development schemes consistent with Vision 2025 with high impact and return have been given main concern in allocation of finances. These schemes and programs share to both the hardware and software side of growth based on the needs of 7-pillar.

However, in order to make sure that the merits of the last investments in priority regions reach the common man as rapidly as possible, an important thrust of the development program is on completion of key on-going schemes falling under the development plan of the Government of Pakistan. Low return schemes and those falling under devolved subjects are discouraged in the federal PSDP. Besides, vertical programs of population and health welfare sectors are suitably financed as per plan of the council of common interests.

More recently, a parliamentary panel accepted the proposed worth of Rs28.46 million for the coming FY2016 for PSDP of health ministry. The budgetary proposal regarding PSDP for FY2016 was put before the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and harmonization for approval. The committee after dialogue accepted the proposal for the next fiscal year. The Committee was informed that the federal government till the present NFC Award of June 2015 will fund the overall vertical health program. After June 2015 all the provinces of the country would develop their own PC-1 of their own vertical programs and federal government would be accountable only for federating regions.

The significant schemes included in FY2016 were establishment of bio-safety level-3 laboratories public health NIH, establishment of cancer hospital in Islamabad and establishment of National resource centre for traditional medicine, raw material and NIH.

No doubt, the Government of Pakistan is determined in making sure that each rupee spent on development activities paybacks utmost returns. The equality, efficiency, accountability and transparency of the procedure underpinning investment would be enhanced to attain the desired aims. The schemes would be intimately controlled and judged on output while its outcome based indicators are so that the focus of the investment is on provision of merits from the investments point of view.