Sindh govt to issue 600,000 smart cards for SESSI members: Ghani

Provincial govt will seek NADRA's assistance for the purpose, he says

KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani has said that the Sindh government intends to seek the assistance of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to deal with the problem of fake registrations in the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI).

"The provincial government, with the help of NADRA, plans to issue 600,000 smart cards for persons registered with SESSI [to put an end to fake registrations]," he said on Thursday, while addressing the members of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry.

Criticising the Centre

Speaking on the occasion, the education minister criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Arif Alvi and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail for their "failure to resolve the problems of Karachi."

He said that the federal government had failed to address the issues of the business community, accusing it of being uninterested in "setting the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution straight."

No deal between PPP and federal govt: Ghani

Ghani said that the court had ordered that funds adding up to Rs170 billion, handed over to the federal government on account of workers' welfare, were to be passed on to the labour class but this was not done. Later, all provinces demanded that they be authorised to manage the workers' welfare fund and a consensus on the matter was also reached in the Council of Common Interests meeting, but the Centre seemed to have decided otherwise, he added.

Empowering UCs

Ghani said that the Sindh government also planned to empower union councils so as to bring about improvement at the grassroots level. However, he was quick to add that all was not in the hands of the provincial government and the Centre had to be approached for several matters pertaining to local government bodies. Giving an example, he said that if the local government intended to initiate a project that required funds exceeding its budget, it was to seek the federal government's approval for the project.

"[Hence,] to take control of the Defence Housing Authority, Karachi Port Trust and railways, the mayor needed to talk to the federal government," said the education minister.

He said that additional funds for the local government were only to be released after the approval of the federal government.

Concluding his address, Ghani attributed the "uncertainty that has gripped the country" to mismanagement.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2020.