Public welfare fairly low on provincial checklist

While the government spends billions on ministers, the ailing sectors of health and education remain neglected

Listen to article

PESHAWAR:

Despite Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's cash-strapped hospitals and educational institutions having little or no funds available for offering free medication to poor patients or paying of salaries to faculty, the debt-ridden provincial government has spared no effort in providing benefits to its ministers.

According to sources, all ministers will be given a monthly house rent allowance of Rs200,000 alongside an annual renovation allowance worth Rs1 million for the purchase of household items including air conditioners, curtains, carpets, and refrigerators. Such superfluous expenditures are outrageous in a province like K-P, where people are struggling to choose between paying for a child's school fee or a sick loved one's treatment.

Naeem Khan, whose brother had a surgery at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, told The Express Tribune that inflation had crushed the average household. "During my brother's treatment, we had to buy medicines and even syringes out of our own pockets.

While government ministers are being given incentives, the common people have no relief. The provincial government needs to reduce its expenses and prioritize the welfare of the masses," implored Khan.

Dr Sanam Khattak, an independent economist and Associate at the Department of Economics at the University of Peshawar, expressed her concern over the increase in allowances for ministers amidst K-P's deteriorating economic situation.

"Such steps, if taken for political gain, do not benefit the public. How can a financially struggling province fund these lavish allowances, without the government taking loans or imposing taxes, both of which would indirectly burden the people?" questioned Dr Khattak, who believed that ministers in Pakistan should adopt the austere lifestyles of politicians in other countries.

According to information received by The Express Tribune, the caretaker Chief Minister had announced before the elections that Rs100 billion were available in the provincial treasury.

However, on the contrary, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has taken a loan of Rs359 billion during the last ten years while the signed loan agreement of Rs600 billion has not been disbursed. Moreover, the province's spending largely depends on the share it receives from the federal government while its own revenue is barely Rs70 billion, which is not even enough to pay off salaries.

PPP's parliamentary leader and opposition member of K-P Assembly, Ahmed Karim Kundi, spoke to The Express Tribune regarding the incentives offered to ministers in a province struggling with debt. "Ministers should be accommodated in government-owned houses instead of renting private ones.

The government should vacate houses from government officials and give them to ministers. Similar to the designated residences for the Chief Minister, Governor, Speaker, and Inspector General, each department should have a minister house specifically assigned to its minister. Many ministerial houses are currently occupied by bureaucrats, leading to increased spending on house rent for ministers.

The increase in the salaries of assembly members in Punjab is surprising and uniform salaries should be offered to all provincial assembly members across Pakistan," said Kundi, who further discouraged the K-P government's spending on VIP vehicles.K-P Law Minister Advocate Aftab Alam told The Express Tribune that in 2014, ministers were given an allowance of Rs75,000 for house renovations.

"This allowance was increased due to rising inflation. Most ministers live in rented houses, and the reason for increasing their house rent allowance was to offer them a better house. The provincial government has taken many steps under its austerity policy that have directly benefited the public," claimed Alam.