KARACHI, June 29: A Rs880.235 million budget of the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (Sessi), showing a surplus of Rs104.225 million, for the year 2005-06 was approved at a meeting of its governing body held under the chairmanship of Sindh Minister Mohammed Adil Siddiqui, who is chairman of Sessi, here on Wednesday.
The budget was presented by Sessi Commissioner Mohammad Asif Marghoob Siddiqui.
Addressing the meeting, Adil Siddiqui appreciated the performance of Sessi, and observed that the social security contribution had been registering a regular increase while covering more workers under the scheme.
He also appreciated commissioner and his team for achieving the set targets.
Members of the governing body M. Tariq Rafi, Khalilur Rehman, Qamoos Gul Khattak and Mirza Baqar Hussain welcomed the proportionate budget allocations, and observed that social security scheme had proved more effective in the recent period.
Earlier, highlighting the salient features of the budget, Asif Marghoob Siddiqui pointed out that the parameters followed in the budget preparation was the realization that this institution was primarily supposed to provide maximum benefits to secured workers and their dependents.
As such, he said, best efforts were put in to make the budget workers-friendly by minimizing the establishment cost and maximizing the welfare activities.
During the year 2005-06, the institution anticipates an income of Rs880.235 million, including the social security contribution of Rs826.209 million, an investment profit of Rs46.722 million and other receipts.
The Sessi commissioner said that the revised budget estimates for the year 2004-05 had put the institution’s income at Rs819.800 million and expenditure at Rs714.624 million.
In the budget 2005-06, the total expenditure has been estimated at Rs776.01 million of which Rs563.55 million would be incurred on medical care and Rs31.78 million on cash benefits. An amount of Rs157.98 million has been earmarked for administrative expenditure and Rs9.7 million for development. For unforeseen expenditure, a sum of Rs10 million and for loans and advances Rs3 million have been set aside.
The amount of Rs563.550 million allocated to medical care includes Rs93 million for purchase of medicines, Rs2.356 million more than the allocation made in the previous budget.
Mr Siddiqui said that the Sessi was spending about 73 per cent of its budget on medical care. The institution, he added, had established a network of 48 medical outlets across the province which included four hospitals, five medical centres and 39 dispensaries.
He told the governing body that a modern CT Scan machine worth Rs40 million would be installed at the KVSS SITE Hospital next month.
He described the launching of the Quaid Sessi Medical and Dental College, adjacent to the KVSS SITE Hospital in Karachi performed by the prime minister as ‘a land mark achievement’.
The commissioner said that that the Dhabeji Medical Centre had been upgraded with the establishment of a laboratory, provision of an x-ray machine and extending a 10-bed facility for the secured workers.
Referring to cash benefits, he said that under the social security scheme, cash benefits in the case of sickness, injury, maternity, disability and other exigencies were given to the secured workers.
For this purpose, he said, Rs31.78 million had been allocated in the new budget.
He pointed out that for the disbursement of the cash benefits, Sessi had established 25 ‘pay offices’ in the province. During the next financial year, about 13,600 new workers would be covered under the scheme, he added.—APP
