Amid heating up of political climate, the government on Monday approved Rs10 billion supplementary grants for Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Programme (SAP) for utilisation on the recommendations of ruling party parliamentarians.
A formal decision to this effect was taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, which also approved about Rs182bn worth of six other supplementary grants, including Rs135bn to independent power producers (IPPs).
The government has already fully exhausted Rs46bn allocated in the federal budget 2021-22 that had been placed at the disposal of the Cabinet Division. It is rare for any development sector or ministry or division to get authorisation for consuming the entire annual allocation in the first quarter of any fiscal year.
Under the disbursement mechanism notified by the Planning Division, funds under all other heads are spent at the rate of 20pc in the first quarter, 30pc each in the second and third quarters and the remaining 20pc in the fourth quarter of a year. However, the Rs46bn allocation for SAP for 2021-22 has already been disbursed in the first three months of the fiscal year.
