Engineering Post Report
Allocations for Science & Technological Research Division of the Federal Government under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2022-23 has been substantially reduced.
Science & Technological Research Division was initially allocated Rs 8341.000 million involving no foreign aid under PDSP during financial year 2021-22. The allocation was in the second half of the last financial year was cut down by the federal government drastically to Rs 3069.610 million as part of the overall downward sizing of the PSDP 2021-2022 from Rs 900 billion to Rs 550 billion without any formal announcement in this regard.
The important research division, which was undertaking various researches etc was allocated Rs 5716.394 million as such under PSPD 2022-23.
The research division is implementing 32 projects in a phased manner under PSPD for current financial year involving total estimated cost of Rs 23882.982 million with no foreign aid. Against this,Rs 4028.331 million had been spent till June 2022 . The research division as already mentioned above has been allocated Rs 5526.394 million for continued implementation of its ongoing 32 schemes under PSDP for current financial year. in a phased manner.
The research division planned to launch only one new scheme during ongoing financial year.
With such low allocations under PSDP for a division entrusted with undertaking scientific and technological research, it is anyone’s guess how long these 32 ongoing and just one new scheme will take to be completed irrespective of almost all these being of minor nature . These may be mentioned separately some other other time, please.
It is also interesting that as many as 32 ongoing schemes as well as the new scheme have been approved at the level of Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) and only considered and approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP).
