Heated debate: MPAs criticise budget for being ‘inequitable’
Lakki Marwat legislator says southern districts ignored.
Several MPAs supported Munawar’s views and called for equitable distribution of resources in all districts of K-P. DESIGN-FAIZAN DAWOOD/FILE
PESHAWAR:
Decrying the allocation of minimal funds to southern districts in the recently presented annual budget, a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker on Tuesday demanded the creation of a separate province comprising southern districts.
While the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly debated the budget in Tuesday’s session, JUI-F lawmaker from Lakki Marwat, Munawar Khan, accused Minister for Finance Sirajul Haq of allocating funds to his constituency Lower Dir alone, and ignoring other regions.
Munawar claimed he would talk to lawmakers from other southern districts and together they would demand the creation of a separate province, because these districts have been kept deprived and underdeveloped.
However, the legislator praised the Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Atif Khan for starting a school monitoring initiative in the province, saying closed schools are opening due to his efforts.
Several other MPAs supported Munawar’s views and called for equitable distribution of resources in all districts of K-P.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker from Kohistan, Abdul Sattar Khan, said that in awarding the 7th National Finance Commission, allocations for K-P were made based on making poverty a touchstone for the distribution of resources and the same should be done in the province.
Pakistan Peoples Party legislator from Chitral, Sardar Hussain, also raised the issue of ignoring underdeveloped regions. “Last year, the chief minister announced Rs3 billion for the Lowari Tunnel, but not even Rs3 were issued,” he said.
Further commenting on the “inequitable” budget JUI-F lawmaker from Kohistan, Maulvi Asmatullah, said the budget for 2014-2015 mentioned the creation of 580 jobs in Peshawar, 246 in Nowshera, 460 in the finance minister’s constituency Lower Dir and 340 in Upper Dir, while the other districts remained ignored.
Treasury bench speaks up
Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan asked the lawmakers to take the budget into account in a holistic manner, instead of a piecemeal treatment.
“Most of the assembly members spoke about the allocation for schools and roads and ignored the government’s initiatives of allocations for food subsidies and governance,” said Inayat.
Talking about the ongoing fiscal year, Inayat said the government has released Rs70 billion from the Annual Development Programme’s local component, while Rs21 billion of its foreign component and a major portion of the remaining budget is likely to be utilised till the end of the financial year.
He urged the MPAs to take the government’s positive actions into account as well, adding the present government has decided to reconstruct 760 schools destroyed in the 2005 earthquake, a topic which remained untouched during the debate.
However, he concurred with members’ views about equitable distribution of funds and said that instead of following the federal government’s formula, the province should devise its own mechanism of fund distribution.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2014.
Decrying the allocation of minimal funds to southern districts in the recently presented annual budget, a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker on Tuesday demanded the creation of a separate province comprising southern districts.
While the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly debated the budget in Tuesday’s session, JUI-F lawmaker from Lakki Marwat, Munawar Khan, accused Minister for Finance Sirajul Haq of allocating funds to his constituency Lower Dir alone, and ignoring other regions.
Munawar claimed he would talk to lawmakers from other southern districts and together they would demand the creation of a separate province, because these districts have been kept deprived and underdeveloped.
However, the legislator praised the Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Atif Khan for starting a school monitoring initiative in the province, saying closed schools are opening due to his efforts.
Several other MPAs supported Munawar’s views and called for equitable distribution of resources in all districts of K-P.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker from Kohistan, Abdul Sattar Khan, said that in awarding the 7th National Finance Commission, allocations for K-P were made based on making poverty a touchstone for the distribution of resources and the same should be done in the province.
Pakistan Peoples Party legislator from Chitral, Sardar Hussain, also raised the issue of ignoring underdeveloped regions. “Last year, the chief minister announced Rs3 billion for the Lowari Tunnel, but not even Rs3 were issued,” he said.
Further commenting on the “inequitable” budget JUI-F lawmaker from Kohistan, Maulvi Asmatullah, said the budget for 2014-2015 mentioned the creation of 580 jobs in Peshawar, 246 in Nowshera, 460 in the finance minister’s constituency Lower Dir and 340 in Upper Dir, while the other districts remained ignored.
Treasury bench speaks up
Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan asked the lawmakers to take the budget into account in a holistic manner, instead of a piecemeal treatment.
“Most of the assembly members spoke about the allocation for schools and roads and ignored the government’s initiatives of allocations for food subsidies and governance,” said Inayat.
Talking about the ongoing fiscal year, Inayat said the government has released Rs70 billion from the Annual Development Programme’s local component, while Rs21 billion of its foreign component and a major portion of the remaining budget is likely to be utilised till the end of the financial year.
He urged the MPAs to take the government’s positive actions into account as well, adding the present government has decided to reconstruct 760 schools destroyed in the 2005 earthquake, a topic which remained untouched during the debate.
However, he concurred with members’ views about equitable distribution of funds and said that instead of following the federal government’s formula, the province should devise its own mechanism of fund distribution.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2014.