In the midst of a severe energy crisis, the water and power sector had been allocated a developmental budget of Rs103 billion for next year, which is 34% higher than the allocation for the current fiscal year, but still the ceiling fell short of expectations of executing agencies.

The combined budget offered to the Ministry of Water and Power and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) was 22.8% of the proposed federal development budget of Rs450 billion for the fiscal year 2013-14, commencing from July this year. For the current fiscal, accumulative budget for both agencies was Rs76.8 billion.

During the second day of proceedings, the Budget Priorities Committee on Tuesday finalised Rs64 billion for Ministry of Water and Power’s water sector projects, said the officials. The proposed amount was Rs16.8 billion or 35.8% higher than present fiscal year’s budget allocation for the ministry.

The proposed ceiling for Wapda for next year was Rs64 billion, which was Rs9.4 billion or 31.8% higher over this year’s allocation. However, the officials added the Wapda sought more funds on grounds that it was expecting significant foreign aid for its projects.