‘Financial’ progress: Sindh revenue numbers don’t add up

Lawmakers spend session complaining of underutilised development funds

KARACHI:

The lawmakers realised during the Sindh Assembly session on Monday that the revenue numbers for the province do not add up.

The finance department report presented in the House claimed the total revenue for Sindh in the last nine months was Rs363 billion, said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) parliamentary leader Syed Sardar Ahmed. The figure quoted by the accountant-general (AG) is Rs388 billion, he added. "If we look at both, there is a difference of Rs19 billion," he pointed out, asking which of them is the correct number.

Massive discrepancies were revealed as the third-quarter budget report was presented by the finance department on Monday and the opposition members compared it with the  AG's fiscal progress report which is prepared every month.

According to Ahmed, even the figures for non-development expenditure don't add up. Sindh government's figure stands at Rs264 billion while the AG report mentioned Rs361 billion as expenditure. Moreover, the AG office said they have released a total of Rs519 billion to the Sindh government in the last nine months but the finance department has given this figure as Rs343 billion.

Ahmed pointed out that Rs48 billion have been shown as subsidy given by the government to different departments. "There should be an audit for this amount," he said. In his monthly report, the Sindh AG stated capital expenditure of Rs24 billion to acquire or improve long- term assets but the government has revealed Rs17 billion. "I want to know who will give us the Rs7 billion? Where has this amount gone?"

As the lawmakers debated these discrepancies, there was consensus that the funds have not been utilised despite the availability of a huge development amount.  "The standard of Sindh education is now worse than Fata and Balochistan," said Pakistan Muslim League-Functional's Mahtab Akbar Rashdi, adding that Rs10 billion were earmarked in the development budget for this sector but only Rs2.8 billion have been spent so far.

"Health is the most important sector where Rs13.2 billion were allocated but only five per cent of its development budget was spent," she said. She blamed the corrupt hospital administrations in Hyderabad of selling the breakfast, which is supposed to be given to patients, at nearby stalls outside the health facilities. "How can you claim to bring change in this situation?"

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party's Sardar Ahmed Ali Pitafi lashed out at his own government for ignoring his constituency in Ghotki district that generates huge revenues. "Every year, I make hue and cry in this House but no new schemes have been given to us," he said, adding that whatever funds are given are being usurped by corrupt officials. "Please let us know if corruption has been legalised in the province."

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Hafeezuddin suggested focusing on the water and sanitation schemes while MQM's Syed Khalid Ahmed wanted to know why not a single penny allocated for the four drinking water schemes in Karachi has not been released.

The lawmakers will meet again today.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2015.