The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Employees Federation has expressed strong concern over the provincial government's inadequate release of grants for the payment of salaries and pensions to employees and pensioners of financially weak local government institutions.
In an official statement, provincial leaders of the federation said that despite the relentless efforts of the organization, the Finance Department recently issued directives to release grants amounting to Rs360.400 million and Rs150 million for settled areas, and Rs71 million for merged areas.
However, these grants fall significantly short of meeting the actual financial needs of the respective Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs).
The federation criticized the provincial authorities for not considering ground realities before releasing the grants. They emphasized that such insufficient allocations are a recurring issue.
Often, the approved amounts do not reflect the genuine demands submitted by TMAs, and in some cases, grants are denied altogether to the most financially vulnerable councils.
As a result, many local government employees and pensioners were unable to receive their dues in time for Eidul Fitr and now face similar hardships ahead of Eidul Azha.
The delay in grant approval further complicates the situation, as the funds do not reach the local bodies in time, leaving employees and pensioners without the means to perform religious obligations, including Qurbani (sacrifice).
Leaders of the Local Government Employees Federation, including Patron-in-Chief Shaukat Kayani, Chairman Mehboobullah, President Haji Anwar Kamal Khan Marwat, and General Secretary Sulaiman Khan Hoti, strongly urged the provincial government to ensure that grant approvals are based on actual financial needs rather than favoritism or outdated formulas.
They called for the timely and fair disbursement of grants.
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