THE slow pace of development spending shows how public investment continues to bear the brunt of efforts to create a primary fiscal surplus, while wasteful government expenditure remains largely protected. The numbers speak for themselves. The government spent just 10.4pc of the Rs1tr PSDP allocation during the first four months of the current year. Even against the Rs412.3bn authorised for spending, actual utilisation remained exceptionally low. Several ministries could not spend even a single rupee. This pattern is hardly new. Successive governments have routinely sacrificed development spending to meet fiscal targets,........

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