News Desk: An audit of the Balochistan government’s financial accounts for fiscal year 2024-25 has revealed irregularities exceeding Rs37.75 billion, while identifying Rs23.38 billion in potential recoveries, alongside abandoned development schemes and cost overruns, according to the audit report.
The report identified 149 cases of irregular expenditure worth Rs11.88 billion and 28 cases involving recoverable amounts of Rs21.48 billion. It also highlighted 31 cases of excess payments, six cases in which the required records were not produced, two cases of suspected expenditure worth Rs5.55 million and six cases involving government losses of Rs39.11 million.
The report showed that the provincial government received Rs918.331 billion during FY2024-25 and spent Rs866.560 billion, leaving a surplus of Rs51.771 billion.
Despite the reported surplus, development spending remained low, accounting for only 36 percent of the total development allocation.
The audit raised concerns over the allocation of funds under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), noting that new schemes were introduced despite numerous ongoing projects. This approach increased pressure on public finances and affected the progress of existing schemes.
According to the report, 198 development schemes costing Rs17.204 billion were abandoned or scaled back. The audit attributed the situation to poor prioritisation and politically driven fund allocations, which resulted in the waste of public resources.
The report also identified delays in 134 development schemes, with completion periods extended by several months to several years. These delays led to additional costs of approximately Rs12.96 billion.
The findings highlight concerns over financial management, development planning and the utilisation of public funds in Balochistan, particularly regarding the timely completion of development projects and the effective allocation of budgetary resources.
