Islamabad:

The government has conducted the third audit in the troubled World Bank Funded Pakistan, the revenue project is raising the cost of $ 150 million to upgrade technology and also to acquire 179 vehicles, including bulletproof cars.

In Rupee terms, costs were increased from the original price tag of RS12.5 billion to RS40.8 billion – an increase of 226% in addition to giving two years of extension during its completion period.

The Central Development Party (CDWP) on Thursday referred the project to the Executive Committee for the National Economic Council (ECNEC), a statement from the Ministry of Planning on Friday.

CDWP also expanded the extent of Punjab Chief Minister Laptop scheme and increased its costs by 170% to RS27 billion. The component of investment projects (IPF) in Pakistan raises the revenue project to a value of the RS40.8 billion was referred to ECNEC for further consideration.

The Ministry of Planning said the project will be funded through a world track loan.

The revised project focuses on modernizing the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) infrastructure through replacement of outdated hardware, implementing a private cloud, updated software licenses and improved connection to field formations.

The project documents stated that an amount of RS2.2 billion has been awarded to the purchase of 179 vehicles with different brands for the unit costs of RS12.5 million for digital enforcement units. These include 15 ball -proof vehicles.

The government had taken out a $ 400 million loan in the name of Pakistan Rejser revenue. Of these, $ 80 million was awarded to upgrade hardware. Now this component has increased to $ 150 million.

The Ministry stated that FBR’s requirements have changed significantly as a result of organizational driving force to use information and communication technology (ICT) -based solutions to its core operations and easy taxpayer, as intended during FBR Transformation Roadmap 2024.

The concept preparation proposal from the program was approved in 2019. In 2020, ECNEC approved the original project at a total cost of RS12.6 billion. Later, the first revision of the project was approved by ECNEC at its meeting, which was held in 2023 at a total cost of RS21.5 billion. Now costs RS40.8 billion.

The project documents emphasized that based on discussions and understanding between FBR and World Banks’ team during the Mid-Serm Review (MTR) Mission Aide Memoire, the project has been restructured to include further financing, therefore the range of the project has been revised.

There are certain changes in implementation strategies to achieve the program’s goals and goals. The extra funds will be used to meet the requirements.

These include piloting of mobile tax facility services, initiatives for improved taxpayers’ compliance, establishing the forum for technical consultations with provincial tax authorities on tax harmonization, staff capacity building, backup equipment upgrade and control space, added.

The project has been restructured on teaching the prime minister and discussions and understanding between the FBR and the World Bank’s team during the mid -term review’s memoire.

FBR had also conducted a study report of identification for external reasons.

The delay was due to non-allocation of contract under the original project, lack of adequate Rupi-covering award of allocations as a main obstacle in procurement over the past three years, and PM’s Directive to revise PC-I of Pakistan raises revenue to include components of the FBR transformation plan that falls within the scope of the project.

But the Ministry of Planning said in its comments that these risks should have been taken into account the project’s risk -limiting strategy and could have been administered by the project authority.

The Ministry of Planning recommended to determine the responsibility for the inability to mitigate these risks of completing the project in accordance with its approved scope and time period.

The revised project is also aimed at rolling a single sales angling system, developing data storage and BI tools and digital transformation of value chains, the components that require no foreign loan.

The project supports faceless assessments, limit technology upgrades and capacity building through training, expert panels and it, together with business process automation and risk management frameworks, improves, according to the Ministry of Planning.

Punjab cm -bearable plan worth RS27 billion was referred to ECNEC for further consideration. The project is financed by Punjab’s government and will end in October this year.

The project aims to distribute laptops to approximately 112,000 students who are currently enrolled in public sector educational institutions across Punjab with the final number exposed to revised assignments.

The election, targeted at students in BS, MS, MBBS and Engineering programs, will follow the criteria approved by the management committee and be based on verified students’ data from respective institutions.

This initiative seeks to strengthen students digital strength, improve access to educational resources, reduce socio -economic differences and promote equal opportunities.

It also aims to promote collaboration with the local ICT industry, support economic growth and entrepreneurship and invest in human capital by equipping students with the skills needed to compete globally and regionally.

To qualify for the laptop, public universities and colleges should have at least 65% grades in intermediate samples. For the public sector, medical and dentists and universities are at least 80% grades in intermediate required. Students may not be the recipient of any laptop from the PM Laptop program or any State Laptop.