HYDERABAD, Feb 4: Notwithstanding the revamping of the Sindhi Adabi Board, it continued to suffer from financial hardship, sources in the board told this correspondent.

The sources said that the board received a grant of Rs5 million per year but only its staff salary amount came to Rs8 million.

The chairman of the board, Irfanullah Marwat, who is also the Sindh minister of education, had announced an additional grant of Rs2.5 million but it had not yet been received.

The Sindh chief minister some time back had also announced a Rs20 million to rescue the board from the financial crisis but the amount, according to the sources, was also yet to be received.

When contacted by telephone to confirm the reports, the new secretary the board, Inam Shaikh, said he had submitted a detailed report on the situation to the board of governors of the board at its recent meeting.

He hoped that the board of governors would take necessary steps to resuscitate the institution. Once the board was rescued from the crisis, it would be able to stand on its own feet, he added. However, the board's performance seems to have improved in the last three months following the change of its administration.

For example, sale at the Tilak Charhi book stall of the board during the period has increased from Rs22,000 per month to Rs80,000 per month.

It is for the first time that the board has obtained work for its printing press from outside and advertisements of Rs150,000 for its publications.

According to the sources, heavy expenditure under the head of fuel, electricity and other miscellaneous expenditure have been reduced by 50 per cent.

Two issues of the board's literary magazine Mehran, one of women's publication Sartiyoon, three of children's journal Gul Phul and reprints of eight books have been published.

The board has also stopped the practice of giving complimentary copies of books published by it.

As the board is overstaffed, its board of governors had decided to absorb at least 35 employees in the education department, the sources said. However, the decision was yet to be implemented.