PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Saturday began the exercise to pass the budget for financial year 2014-15 after four days long discussion.
The Rs9.4 billion demands for grant for seven departments were approved during the session chaired by Speaker Asad Qaisar.
However, the opposition parties rejected the government’s demands for grants for the administration, finance and planning and development departments over their ‘inefficiency, delaying tactics in resolving public problems, nepotism and delay in release of funds.’
They, however, withdrew cut motions for health, revenue and estate and excise and taxation departments before voting for demands for grants for them.
Despite criticism of the opposition, the ruling parties managed to get demands for grant for the administration, finance and planning and development departments approved by majority vote.
Opposition rejects demands for grants for three departments over delayed funds
A heated debate was witnessed when finance minister Sirajul Haq presented a demand for grant of Rs2.67 billion for his department.
After presenting cut motion on the demand for grant of the finance department, Qaumi Watan Party parliamentary leader Sikandar Hayat Sherpao said anyone, who ever visited the finance department for some work, returned disappointed.
“Even ministers, administrative secretaries and other government officers are unhappy for delaying tactics used by the finance department for the release of funds,” he said.
Sherpao said if a project needed Rs50 million for carrying out development work, the department released Rs0.5 million only.
“Delay in the release of funds has hampered work on development projects and thus, escalating their cost. All this overburdens the national kitty,” he said.
The QMP parliamentary leader said buildings of many government schools and hospitals in many parts of the province were ready but the staff hadn’t be deployed yet as the finance department was taking a long time to issue statements of expenditure required for such appointments.
Jafar Shah of the Awami National Party said the release of funds by the finance department was very complicated. “By and large, the finance department doesn’t release funds throughout the financial year but begins doing so in the last month of the year. This practice should come to end,” he said.
Sardar Hussain Babak of ANP said work on the buildings of around 2,000 educational institutions in the province had been completed but the finance department was delaying issuance of statements of expenditure for recruitment of teachers there.
Published in Dawn, June 22nd , 2014