ISLAMABAD, Aug 16: Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro has said “efforts are being made to minimize the expenditure of the Senate to remain within the available budgetary allocations,” a press release issued by the Senate said on Tuesday.

Dawn has learnt that the Senate Finance Committee, where he made the remark as its chairman, approved expenditure of Rs6.09 million on dinners and gifts to foreign dignitaries and for the installation of an electric generator at the Senate chairman’s residence.

Document No F-2(3)/2004-05(F&A), having details of the minutes of the 3rd meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, obtained by Dawn, shows the committee “approved purchase of 210 KVA diesel generator at an approximate cost of Rs2.79 million from Siemens for use at the residence of chairman Senate. Related installation and other costs were also approved.”

The document did not give any details about the cost and benefit analysis about installation of the generator or if it was to be installed at chairman Senate’s private or official residence.

Details of the different meetings of the Senate Finance Committee held during the current year show that chairman Senate spent a sum of Rs1.6 million on eight dinners and lunches, costing the taxpayers an average of rupees two hundred thousand on each occasion.

Details available with Dawn show the Senate Finance Committee had given post facto approval for the lunches and dinners hosted by the chairman Senate.

“The above mentioned expenditure was approved by the chairman Senate in anticipation of the approval of the Senate Finance Committee in terms of Rule 17 of the Senate Finance Committee Rules 1973,” said various documents in a similar text about expenditures of dinners and lunches for the post facto approval.

Following are details of expenditure incurred on some of the dinners and lunches hosted by the chairman Senate:

On June 12, he hosted a dinner for Hurriyet leaders from occupied Kashmir at a cost of Rs238,730.

On June 5, the chairman Senate hosted a dinner for parliamentarians and diplomats at a cost of Rs136,650.

On May 1 and 4, he hosted a lunch for think-tanks and officials of Venice City at a cost of Rs129,123.

On May 17, leader of the House in the Senate, on behalf of the chairman, spent a sum of Rs175,950 to host a dinner for delegates of South Asia Free Media Association.

On March 20, the chairman Senate hosted a dinner for the mayor of Ankara at a cost of Rs196,525.

On January 11, 2005, the chairman Senate hosted a dinner worth Rs132,120 for a German delegation.

On January 13, a dinner by acting chairman Senate for delegates of a parliamentary workshop on HIV/AIDS cost Rs109,595.

On December 13, 2004, the chairman Senate hosted a dinner worth Rs513,498 for participants of the international conference on micro-finance in Pakistan.

In addition to the expenditure on dinners and lunches, the Senate Finance Committee on at least two different occasions accorded approval of sums of Rs1.57 million and Rs164,453 to chairman Senate to purchase gifts for foreign dignitaries.

Documents show the Senate Finance Committee approved expenditure of Rs523,820 incurred in connection with a post- election seminar for parliamentarians held from February 7-9.