Cabinet meeting: K-P rejects two weekly holiday decision

Five-day week did not help much in energy conservation, says Hussain.

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) cabinet decided on Monday to repeal the federal government’s decision of observing two weekly holidays under an energy saving scheme.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting – chaired by Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti – K-P Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the cabinet discussed this proposal and decided not to follow it.

Hussain said that last year’s experience at the Civil Secretariat Peshawar proved that the five-day week did not help much in energy conservation; however, he added that if all provinces took a unanimous decision then K-P would follow suit.

The information minister said that the K-P cabinet also discussed issues pertaining to the departments devolved to provinces in light of the 18th Amendment.

The cabinet was told that the Zakat department had been transferred to the provinces and in place of the Zakat and Usher Ordinance 1980, Zakat and Usher Act 2011 has been enforced in the province.

He said that the K-P government has asked the Punjab government to call a meeting in Lahore to devise a new formula for the distribution of Zakat among provinces in light of the new formula presented by the religious affairs ministry and presented to the Council of Common Interest.

The cabinet also asked the federal government to release Zakat funds as per the old formula so that the funds could be released, adding that the Zakat funds had not been released to the provinces due to the Central Zakat Committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th,  2011.