Quetta: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, the Government of Balochistan has achieved a historic milestone by utilizing 115 percent of its allocated development funds during the fiscal year 2025-26, marking the highest development spending performance in the province’s history.
Provincial Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani, while addressing the budget session, announced that the timely and transparent utilization of funds significantly accelerated the pace of development projects across the province.
Exceptional Performance Compared to Previous Years
Unlike previous years, the current government ensured that development funds were fully utilized rather than remaining frozen or unspent. The utilization record is as follows:
- 2021-22: 53% utilization
- 2022-23: 66% utilization
- 2023-24: 55% utilization
- 2024-25: 99% utilization
- 2025-26: 115% historic utilization
The Finance Minister stated that strict monitoring and guidance from the Chief Minister ensured transparency and merit, resulting in the completion of 2,966 ongoing and new development projects by the end of the fiscal year.
Key Highlights of the PSDP
The total Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for fiscal year 2025-26 stood at Rs249 billion, aligned with national and global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Major Allocations:
- Road Infrastructure: Rs57 billion spent on improving provincial connectivity.
- Social Protection: Rs35 billion allocated for public welfare initiatives.
- Education: Rs20 billion allocated, leading to the construction of additional classrooms in 3,000 government schools.
- Healthcare: Rs16 billion allocated, including Rs2 billion used to restore 164 previously inactive Basic Health Units (BHUs).
Green Pakistan Initiative
Through solar-powered tube wells in South Balochistan, 21,000 acres of land were brought under irrigation, while Rs1.9 billion in soft loans was distributed among 513 families.
Digital Reforms in the Finance Department
Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani also announced major digital reforms within the Finance Department.
AI-Based Recruitment
For the first time, recruitment was conducted through Artificial Intelligence-based systems, eliminating favoritism and political influence. Merit-based hiring was completed within a single day, helping restore confidence among young job seekers.
Introduction of Finance GPT
To modernize financial management and data handling, the government introduced Finance GPT, an AI-powered financial assistant, along with the Financial Management Information System (FMIS).
Cashless Economy and Online Billing
The pension system has been fully automated, while online billing mechanisms have been launched to support paperless governance and improve financial transparency.
The Finance Minister reaffirmed that despite financial challenges, the provincial government has prepared a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026-27, reducing non-development expenditures and ensuring equitable distribution of funds across all districts of Balochistan.