Situationer: Disregarding data collection

A comprehensive report on the state of provincial economies, akin to the National Pakistan Economic Survey, does not appear to be forthcoming. Currently, development efforts at the provincial level appear to be politically driven rather than aligned with the prioritised needs of the masses. Consequently, the outcomes are modest and have a high opportunity cost. In economic terms, opportunity cost represents the potential benefits foregone when one alternative is chosen over another. It includes both implicit and explicit costs. This concept is particularly important in public finance, as the government is entrusted with spending public money to best serve the interests of the masses. To achieve optimal development results, nations worldwide are increasingly shifting to evidence-based planning and interventions, relying on larger sets of relevant real-time data. Encouraged by the unexpectedly positive outcomes of this strategy, as seen with the Benazir Income Support Programme and pandemic containment efforts, among others, the federal government is gradually adopting more advanced approaches to development planning.