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The prime minister’s financial package, injecting Rs3 billion into the fragile fiscal base of the Balochistan Budget of Rs42,730.3 million with a record deficit of Rs9.5 billion during the Fy 2004-05, is sure to bring financial relief to the province.
The scarcity of funds for the province has been attributed to the shortfall in federal receipts amounting to a total of Rs20,829 million under the NFC Award since Fy 1997-98. The NFC projection from 1997-98 to 2001-02 was estimated at Rs113,025 million. But the actual amount received was Rs92,196 million during this five-year period. It shows a shortfall of Rs20,829 million.
Besides the shortfall of funds, there are five other factors responsible for the backwardness:
1. The natural resource-base including water, is under constant threat of losing potential and productivity due to extreme aridity, human and live stock pressures.
2. Scanty groundwater resources are ruthlessly exploited in most of the areas.
3. Fresh water bodies are being polluted by agricultural, industrial and municipal wastes and other unhealthy practices.
4. Rangelands, agricultural lands and watersheds have been degraded, resulting in deterioration of soil and productivity.
5. Inefficient irrigation practices culminate in the over-use of available water.
Constraints: There are development constraints such as lack of good governance, lack of a lobby in Islamabad, a viable infrastructure, efficient planning, scattered population, shift in demographic patterns, political instability, paucity of financial resources, vastness of the area and extreme weather conditions.
Hence, there is a galloping resource gap between Balochistan and other provinces as is evident from three factors which are: the alarming disparities of resource distribution among the federating units; questionable resource distribution formula and the non-transfer of technological and financial resources to the province.
FISHERIES: Balochistan’s coastline measuring 770 km and forming 70 per cent of Pakistan’s coastal belt along the Arabian Sea has a potential for development as sea ports. It’s fish production has been estimated at 121,212 tonnes per annum. Balochistan supplies nearly 11,757 million tonnes to various parts of the country. There is exportable fish surplus to the tune of 109,455 M tonnes.
MINERALS: Apart from marine potential, the province has metallic and non-metallic minerals: copper, gold, lead, zinc, iron,oil, gas, coal, marble, limestone, chromite, barite, flourite, sulphur and magnesite. Chinese and Australian are actively engaged in exploration. The exploitation of gold-copper deposits in the Chagai district, close to Iran and Afghanistan is in progress. Australians are engaged at Reko Diq where about one billion tonnes of copper combined with gold and other precious minerals said to be, the 10th biggest deposit in the world. |
