Funds for Science & Technological Research substantially reduced 

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).