PM discretionary fund: Meeting to ponder ways to sidestep SC ruling

Will plan for issuance of Rs20 million to each MNA

ISLAMABAD:

Cabinet division has called a meeting of four chief secretaries on January 21 to devise a mechanism of issuing Rs20 million to all members of the National Assembly (MNAs) as prime minister’s discretionary fund for undertaking development schemes in their constituency, The Express Tribune has learnt on Friday.

PM Nawaz on January 14 not only approved the idea of awarding Rs20 million to each MNA from the allocated funds of Rs12.5 billion in the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for financial year 2014-2015 but also formed a steering committee to monitor and execute this process on a priority basis.



According to sources in the Cabinet division, secretary Cabinet Babar Yaqoob Fateh has called a meeting of chief secretaries of the four provinces, chief executive officers (CEOs) of all DISCOs (distribution companies), heads of oil and gas companies, members of steering committee and others to work out a  procedure for distributing the discretionary fund.

After the December 21 meeting, the sources stated, the steering committee – comprising MNA Muhammad Safder, Chaudhry Saud Majeed and Sheikh Aftab – would ask each MNA to submit lists of development schemes about their constituencies worth Rs20 million to district administrations.

Chief executive officers of all DISCOs would be asked to update the committee on their available resources and how they could help meet the immediate requirements in lawmakers’ constituencies such as electric polls, grid stations and upgrades on existing infrastructure. Sources said oil and gas companies would similarly be asked to facilitate MNAs by, for instance, providing new connections and expanding pipelines.

The sources went on to say that the participants will devise mechanism for use of funds in such a way as to not run afoul with the Supreme Court (SC) ruling. The SC on December 5, 2013 had put a ban on the discretionary funds and stopped Peoples Works Programme (PWPII).

PTI and K-P

Out of 33 MNAs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the National Assembly, it has 26 lawmakers on general seats. Of these 26 MNAs, seven are from Punjab and one from Karachi.

The sources said that the federal government has decided to start development schemes in those 26 constituencies but authorities concerned would not entertain PTI MNAs demands.

They said that the federal government would instead ask allies, other political parties, candidates and influentials in those 26 constituencies to submit lists of required schemes in DCO office.

The sources maintained that at the Cabinet secretary meeting, K-P chief secretary will be persuaded to support the government’s plan of execution of the funds for MNAs in his province.

The federal government does not have any issue in execution of the PM’s funds for MNAs in the rest of three provinces Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab, the sources added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2015.