Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has diverted Rs15 billion towards his discretionary development funding under the People Works Programme (PWP-II) in order to appease voters before the coming elections, it is learnt.

These funds will come from 106 development projects, including major dams, health, education, floods and neglected areas such as Balochistan, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan and many others.Official documents available with The News comprising a list of 106 development projects titled ‘adjustments in PSDP 2012-13 for PWP-II’ showed that the incumbent government has diverted resources towards the controversial Gujjar Khan package which is the home constituency of the premier and many other parts of the country to win support for PPP candidates at the cost of crucial projects.

Flouting approval of parliament for approving budget 2012-13 including PSDP, such an unprecedented level of diversion of allocated resources towards PWP-11 have damaged the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and would cause a cost escalation by billions of rupees from which resources were cut down to jack up discretionary funding for the premier from Rs22 billion to Rs37 billion just in first six months (July-Dec) period of the current fiscal year.

To divert resources towards PWP-11, the government slashed down allocation of 106 projects from Rs77.520 billion to Rs62.520 billion, indicating cut down of Rs15 billion without changing overall allocated amount of Rs360 billion for PSDP in the current fiscal year’s budget.

According to the list of slashed funding of the projects, the government cut down funding of one project of Cabinet Division for construction of Chirah dam from Rs500 million to Rs400 million in order to divert Rs100 million towards PWP-11. There is one project of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) under PM’s special initiatives for management of Dengue fever and pollen energy in ICT from Rs39.5 million to Rs8.5 million to divert Rs31 million for PWP-11.

The government cut down funding of 14 projects of Communication Division from PSDP 2012-13 including many projects insert by former PM Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani under Multan Package by slashing down allocation for construction and widening of link road from Nag Shah Chowk to Motorway interchange from Rs5 million to zero, construction of a flyover in district Rahim Yar Khan from Rs5 million to zero, construction of link road from Southern Bypass to Northern Bypass and Judicial Complex Multan from Rs5 million to zero, flyover at Tateypur, district Multan from Rs5 million to zero,

improvement of road from Lodhi Colony chowk to Ghous Ul Azeem Chowk Multan from Rs5 million to zero, allocation for Karachi-Hyderabad (M-9) land acquisition from Rs150 million to Rs5 million, Nila interchange between Chakri and Balkasar interchange from Rs5 million to zero, allocation for M-4/N-70 Motorway flyover at Nag Shah Multan from Rs1 billion to Rs500 million, M-4/N-70 Motorway link interchange at Nag Shah Multan from Rs859 million to Rs759 million, N-85 Hoshab- Nag- Basima from Rs1100 million to Rs900 million, allocation for Gwadar-Turbat- Hushab- Retodero from Rs3302.499 million to Rs2802.499 million, Lowrei tunnel from Rs1200 million to Rs700 million and Peshawar Northern bypass from Rs1318.309 million to Rs1118.309 million for diverting resources towards PWP-11.

The government cut down allocation of three projects of Defense Division for sparing resources for PWP-11 including slashing allocation for National Electronics Complex of Pakistan (phase-1) NESCOM Islamabad from Rs1347 million to Rs747 million, New Gwadar International Airport from Rs600 million to Rs50 million and water distribution network on Khanpur dam water sources from Rs405 million to Rs305 million. There is one development project of Defence Production Division in which allocation for installation of Ship Lift and Transfer System and associated machinery and equipments to provide Docking and repair facilities to surface Ships was reduced from Rs1907. 7 million to Rs1057.7 million.

Five projects of Education and Training Division among the list of reduced allocation including cutting down resources for education leadership and education management phase-III from Rs13.4 million to Rs8.4 million, establishment of project monitoring cell in MPTT from Rs7.2 million to Rs4.2 million, financial management and good governance phase-II from Rs12.5 million to Rs7.5 million, setting up Numerical Training Control and training labs from Rs58.5 million to Rs38.5 million and training programme on use of data for education planning and management using computer software from Rs5 million to Rs3 million.

Finance Division: There are 19 development projects of Finance Division where allocations were cut down including slashing down resources for 10 sewerage schemes by WASA from Rs500 million to Rs400 million, Burns and Trauma Center Peshawar from Rs50 million to Rs20 million, construction of black topped from Dera Bugti to Pitokh, Habib Rahi, Vereera Killi Murad under Dera Bugti package from Rs16 million to zero, construction of drainage on Saim Nullah at Momin Kanjan Tehsil Tandlianwala district Faisalabad from Rs50 million to Rs30 million, construction of officer club at Kolhu under Kolhu package from Rs38.4 million to Rs0.4 million, construction of residential accommodation for district officers at Kolhu from Rs20 million to zero, electrification of villages at Kolhu from Rs2 million to zero,

Gwadar Development Authority from Rs1 billion to Rs500 million, Khyber Institute of Child Health & Children Hospital from Rs50 million to Rs20 million, Larkana sewerage project from Rs50 million to Rs30 million, medical equipments/ ambulance for DHQs for militancy hit Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Nowshera Nazimpur Kohat alternate road link from Rs50 million to Rs10 million, Pakistan Institute of Cardiology Center Quetta from Rs200 million to Rs80 million, post flood rehabilitation/infrastructure development schemes in NA-225 from Rs5 million to Rs2 million, Shaheed Benazir Hospital Peshawar from Rs50 million to Rs20 million, six low income housing schemes in Multan Shah Rukne Alam Town, Mumtazabad, Bosan Town, Sher Shah Town, Shujabad Town and Jalalpur Town from Rs20 million to Rs8 million, widening of Chowk Nawan Shehr in Multan city from Rs5 million to Rs2 million and Quetta Water Supply Scheme from Rs1500 million to Rs1300 million to divert money towards PWP-11.

Higher Education Commission (HEC): The government reduced allocation of 25 development schemes of HEC in the current fiscal year including slashing down allocation for Abdul Wali Khan University from Rs300 million to Rs200 million, construction and setting up offices of National Training Service, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad from Rs5 million to Rs4 million, construction of boundary wall at International Islamic University H-10 Campus (total cost: Rs49.889 million of which HEC share Rs33.266 million and university share Rs16.633 million) from Rs33.266 million to Rs13.266 million, construction of data center and providing optic for networking at Ojha campus Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi from Rs44.8 million to Rs24.8 million,

development of Fatima Jinnah Women University Campus-II from Rs82 million to Rs52 million, establishment of business incubation centers at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Islamabad from Rs37.868 million to Rs17.868 million, establishment of FM Radio Station and Television Production House in the Department of Mass Communication University of Balochistan, Quetta from Rs20 million to Rs15 million, establishment of grid station at Sector H-12 Islamabad for NUST from Rs80 million to Rs40 million, establishment of NUST Teaching cum Research Hospital from Rs10 million to Rs8 million, establishment of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana from Rs100 million to Rs65 million, establishment of university in FATA from Rs70 million to Rs20 million, expansion programme of Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad phase-1 from Rs125 million to Rs85 million,

feasibility studies for establishment of Women University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from Rs12.2 million to Rs7.2 million, Japanese Need Base Merit Scholarship for students of Pakistani universities from Rs20 million to Rs8 million, provision of academic and research facilities of government college university, Faisalabad from Rs50 million to Rs25 million, strengthening and development of Library at Agriculture University Peshawar from Rs20 million to Rs15 million, strengthening and up-gradation of UET Taxila and its sub campuses from Rs130 million to Rs65 million, strengthening of Department of Psychology University of Peshawar from Rs39 million to Rs19 million, strengthening of Environmental Engineering Department NED University Karachi from Rs35 million to Rs15 million,

strengthening of Facilities of Lahore College for Women University Lahore from Rs125 million to Rs55 million, strengthening of Gujrat University from Rs130 million to Rs65 million, strengthening of IT facilities at City and Ravi Campuses of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore from Rs17.973 million to Rs9.973 million, strengthening of Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology Nawabshah from Rs50 million to Rs20 million, strengthening of sub campus of UAF at Toba Tek Singh from Rs20 million to Rs10 million, and uplifting programme of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Gujrat from Rs100 million to Rs50 million.

Interior Division: The government slashed down allocation of four development schemes as allocation for consulting service for national program for improvement of water courses in ICT was reduced from Rs5.7 million to Rs4.7 million, establishment of National Forensic Science Agency from Rs75.5 million to Rs50.5 million, provision of security infrastructure in Malakand, Swat and other conflict areas from Rs500 million to Rs400 million and rehabilitation at Jilani UC Bhara Kahu from Rs5 million to Rs4 million.

Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Division: The government slashed down block allocation for AJK from Rs9.547 billion to Rs9.047 billion while allocation for GB was reduced from Rs6.879 billion to Rs6.375 billion.

Narcotics Control Division: The government abolished allocation of Rs22 million for establishment of Drug Demand Reduction Cell in the ministry of Narcotics Control. Planning & Development Division: The block allocation was reduced from Rs14.675 billion to Rs13.925 billion to divert Rs750 million towards PWP-11.

Railway Division: The government slashed down allocation for 14 projects to increase resources for PWP-11 including allocation for conversion of Mirpur Khas to Khokharapar and extension up to Indian border from Rs342 million to Rs242 million, doubling of track from Shahdara to Faisalabad from Rs217 million to Rs42 million, doubling of track from Shahdara to Lalamusa from Rs300 million to Rs120 million, mechanization of track maintenance from Rs500 million to Rs200 million, procurement/manufacture of 50 Nos DE Locomotives from Rs2 billion to Rs1.450 billion,

procurement of 150 DE locos from Rs500 million to Rs425 million, procurement of 500 high capacity bogie wagons and 40 power vans from Rs1000 million to Rs740 million, procurement of 75 Nos new DE Locos Risalpur from Rs200 million to Rs50 million, reconstruction of assets damaged in flood 2010 from Rs250 million to Rs130 million, rehabilitation of rolling stock and track in connection with bailout package from Rs300 million to Rs275 million, track rehabilitation of Khanpur-Lodharan project from Rs285 million to Rs110 million and few other projects.

Revenue Division: The allocation for project preparation facility for Revenue Mobilization Project was slashed down from Rs270 million to Rs170 million.Water & Power Division (power sector): The allocation for much awaited construction of Diamer Basha dam was cut down by Rs2.5 billion as its allocation for land acquisition was reduced from Rs7.785 billion to Rs5.285 billion in the current fiscal year.

Water & Power Division (Water sector): The government reduced allocation for 13 projects including construction of small dams in KP from Rs5 million to Rs2 million, construction of small dams at Toreway Hangu from Rs15 million to Rs10 million, consultancy services of surveys for construction of small dams in Sindh from Rs50 million to Rs40 million, CRBC additional allocation for remedial works in KP from Rs12 million to Rs7 million, feasibility study for exploration of ground water along courses of historical Hakra river at Thar Coal area from Rs10 million to Rs8 million,

Mangla Water Shed Management project from Rs50 million to Rs40 million, raising of Mangla dam from Rs6 billion to Rs5.5 billion, rehabilitation of flood damages in 2010 in RBOD-1 at Larkana, Dadu, Qambar and Shahdatkot from Rs700 million to Rs590 million, rehabilitation of flood damages (RBOD-III) at Jaffarabad, Nasirbabad, (Balochistan) and Jackabad, Qamabad and Shahdadkot at Sindh from Rs250 million to Rs178 million, survey and design for construction of rain water dams along River Indus in Sindh from Rs10 million to Rs8 million, small dams in Sindh from Rs1590 million to Rs1190 million, Darwat dam Sindh from Rs2000 million to Rs1500 million and emergency flood schemes from Rs900 million to Rs600 million for diverting resources towards PWP-11 discretionary funding of PM on the name of development.