Abdul Ghani

The Capital Development Authority’s delay in submitting a revised PC-1 has stalled the Rs465.6 million Senior Citizen Home (Dar-ul-Shafqat) project in Islamabad, preventing its inclusion in the federal development budget and prolonging uncertainty over its execution, according to a document available with Wealth Pakistan.

The document reveals that the Ministry of Human Rights had proposed the construction of the Senior Citizen Home to provide safe and dignified shelter to homeless, deserted, and indigent elderly citizens in the federal capital. The facility was designed to initially accommodate 30 residents, with expansion capacity up to 50, and to offer free accommodation, meals, clothing, healthcare, and recreational facilities.

The project was formally approved on March 28, 2024, at an estimated cost of Rs465.622 million. It was conceived in line with the Senior Citizens Act, 2021, which mandates the state to ensure welfare and protection mechanisms for elderly citizens. In addition to providing shelter, the initiative aimed to reduce social isolation and promote community engagement among senior citizens.

However, in April 2024, the Ministry of Planning announced that newly-approved projects, particularly those cleared by the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP), would be assigned the lowest priority for fund allocation in FY2024-25. Consequently, no funds were allocated to the project during that fiscal year. The situation was further complicated when Pak PWD, the designated executing agency, was declared defunct.

The Ministry of Human Rights subsequently requested CDA to prepare and submit a fresh draft PC-1 by March 2025 to enable consideration of the project in FY2025-26. Despite repeated communications, the revised draft was not submitted within the prescribed timeframe, making the project ineligible for placement in the subsequent federal development budget.

The ministry also attempted to secure inclusion of the project in FY2025-26 on the basis of the previously approved PC-1, with the intention to revise it later. However, the Ministry of Planning did not entertain this proposal. On May 7, 2025, the Ministry of Human Rights again asked CDA to furnish a revised draft to move the project forward, but the document has yet to be provided.

As per the document, under current instructions of the Ministry of Planning, projects of this nature cannot be placed before the earlier approving forum, DDWP, due to an imposed moratorium, adding another procedural hurdle. Despite the setbacks, the Ministry of Human Rights remains in continuous contact with CDA, urging early submission of the revised PC-1 to facilitate processing at the competent forum.

The ministry has also taken up the matter with the Ministry of Planning to seek allocation of funds in the Federal PSDP for FY2026-27, on the basis of the revised proposal. Until the updated PC-1 is submitted and approved, the much-needed welfare facility for senior citizens in Islamabad remains stalled, with its budgetary allocation tied to the completion of pending procedural requirements.

Credit: INP-WealthPk