‘Stable federating units strengthen federation’
Provincial Finance Minister Sardar Mohsin Khan Leghari said on Tuesday that federating units’ stability was necessary for the strength of the federation and the NFC (National Finance Commission) award was a centrifugal agenda and the parliament should reconsider it.
He expressed these views as chief guest in a session of the training course for government officers organised by the Punjab Management and Professional Development Department (PMPD).
Leghari said incentives on increasing tax collections could improve the performance of provinces.
“Punjab has good potential in the agriculture sector and the implementation of a tax on agricultural lands will solve many issues,” he observed.
The governments alone were not responsible for the breakdown in governance as the bureaucracy was also an equal contributor, he said and asserted that misuse of powers and deviation from rules of business was destroying institutions.
“The plight of the government institutions can be improved by linking salary increases, allowances and promotions with performance.”
“In the 60s, our canal system was world-renowned and today we are unable to distribute water fairly to our agricultural lands mainly because of our preferences,” he continued.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2023.