LAHORE, June 27: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday rejected all cut motions tabled by the opposition on the supplementary budget. The house, as agreed between the treasury and the opposition, took up just two of the cut motions for discussion, which were regarding agriculture and education departments while all others were voted out without any debate.

The cut motion on the agriculture department, moved by MMA’s Asghar Gujjar, suggested reduction in supplementary grant from Rs348.79 million to just Re1.

Agriculture minister Arshad Lodhi opposed it.

PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said the government was steering the province back instead of taking it forward. He regretted that at least Rs150 million from the supplementary grants were spent on advertisements and other non-development plans.

He said if the government took Rs100 from the pocket of peasants it spent just Rs10 on the welfare of the community. Last year, he said, the government had collected Rs6 billion, excluding the federal taxes, from farmers but it had allocated only Rs1.10 billion for the development of the agriculture sector.

Ehsan Naulatia said better consumption of water could give better results by meeting most of the requirements of the most important sector.

Mr Gujjar said agriculture, which was the backbone of the country, was being ignored, as the government had not fulfilled its promise of reducing diesel prices. He demanded provision of subsidised electricity for the sector to overcome the water shortage problem through tube-wells.

Opposition MPA Muhammad Ijaz said the government had fixed Rs415 per 40 kg as support price of wheat but the commodity was actually purchased at not more than Rs375 per 40 kg.

Another opposition member demanded that the government should inform the house about the steps taken for insurance of crops. He lamented that even the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was reluctant to probe the sugar scandal.

Referring to the opposition’s allegation that more funds were diverted towards non-development schemes, Lodhi said the extra money sought through supplementary grants was meant for repair of old bulldozers for leveling hundreds of acres of land.

Taking part in the discussion on the cut motion on supplementary grant for the education department, PML-N’s Sheikh Ijaz Ahmad alleged that all claims of the government about provision of educational facilities had proved wrong because schools in even urban areas were in such a dilapidated condition that their roofs could collapse any time.

He said the government had sought written proposals from MPs but not a single one was considered. He regretted that girl’s middle schools in rural areas were not being upgraded and the result was that daughters of poor peasants were unable to continue further studies.

He opposed the idea of recruitment of educators instead of teachers, terming it a joke.

MMA’s Arshad Baggu lamented that since independence neither any indigenous syllabus had been developed nor was the teaching community given its due honour.

Criticising recruitment of educators on contract, he said if the new system was so good, armymen and bureaucrats should also be recruited on contract.

PML-N’s Khalida Mansoor demanded payment of medical and other allowances to teachers. She criticised the government for allowing girls to study in boys elementary schools.

Nighat Parveen said many schools in the province were without their proper buildings and students were sent home during rains. She pointed out that at many schools facilities like water and power were not available.

Brig Muhammad Afzal (retired) wondered that the government was declaring to upgrade primary schools to middle schools while most of the former were existing in two-room buildings. Adding classes to them is beyond one’s understanding, he said.

He said teachers with uncertain futures could not impart quality education to students.

He asked the government to recruit teachers on a regular basis and refrain from giving new education policy each year.

Abida Parveen said most of the private schools lacked playgrounds and students could not take part in extra-curricular activities.

Syed Hasan Murtaza claimed that 70 per cent schools in his constituency were lying closed and those functioning lacked teaching staff.

Asghar Ali Qaiser said that the government was patronising the institutions like the Kinnaird College and the Sadiq Public School which were already self-sufficient in generating funds while those lacked resources were being ignored.

Raja Shafqat Abbasi said the devolution plan had hit hard the education sector as upgradation of 123 schools in Rawalpindi district was announced but not a single of them was upgraded. —Staff Reporter