Unfair allocation: CM lambasts ‘unconstitutional’ NEC meeting

Claims Sindh has not received its due share

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has rejected the meeting of National Economic Council (NEC), terming it 'unconstitutional'.

He said this while addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Cub along with finance minister Murad Ali Shah, education minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, information adviser Maula Bux Chandio and MNA Nafisa Shah.

The CM was angered by the Rs12.05 billion allocation for Sindh out of the total Rs800 billion proposed in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2016-17 budget for the federal government.

He said the NEC meeting is mainly done in the presence of the prime minister with chief ministers, financial ministers and the federal finance minister, in which the provinces propose the schemes and put forward their reservations, after which the PSDP is finalised. This time, however, he said he was surprised that the prime minster only attended the meeting via video link, while the NEC members spoke about his quick recovery instead of the schemes.





He criticised the federal government, saying that it has proposed the PSDP budget without consulting with the Sindh government. He added that although Punjab is 'an elder brother', it is still bound to be accountable to the smaller provinces.

The CM said that 25 ongoing development schemes in Sindh have been allocated Rs12.05 billion in the proposed PSDP, which he termed 'peanuts and injustice with Sindh'. He added that we reject the 'controversial PSDP' by the federal government for the coming fiscal year.

He also criticised the federal planning and development minister, Ahsan Iqbal, for not discussing the development projects for Sindh. He said the federal government only allocated Rs2.5 billion for the K-IV water project last year and this year only Rs700 million has been allocated, which he termed a 'mockery'. According to him, the Sindh government insisted the federal government allocate Rs10 billion in order to lessen the woes of the people of Karachi.

According to finance minister Murad, the federal government owes Sindh Rs70 billion in the divisional poll and if the federal government would release Sindh's share, then the provincial government would be able to develop its development budget.

Murad added that in the financial year 2012-2013, 47 development schemes were approved at a cost of Rs18 billion against the total PSDP of Rs300 billion, whereas the allocation for Sindh should have been Rs42 billion.

He said this year seven mega-schemes proposed in the meeting have been rejected. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, during his visit to Sukkur, said that he wants to give a gift to the people of Sukkur, whereas Murad claimed that this is not a gift, but their due right.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2016.