May 27, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 21, 1429

NAWABSHAH, May 26: About 100,000 deserving people of the province who depend on Zakat funds for their needs have to wait longer than expected for the second installment, which has been withheld by Islamabad over Sindh government’s failure to utilise at least 50 per cent of the first installment, a compulsory requirement under relevant rules.

According to Zakat and Ushr Ordinance 1980, Zakat funds are released to the provinces in two half-yearly installments on condition that the second installment will be released only after utilisation of at least 50 per cent of the first installment.

Reliable sources told Dawn on Monday that an amount of Rs144 million of the second installment might get lapsed as the government had failed to utilise 50 per cent of the first installment.

Thousands of deserving people including students who receive scholarships in Nawabshah, Naushahro Feroze, Sanghar, Dadu, Larkana, Tharparkar, Sukkur, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Thatta, Hyderabad, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jamshoro and other areas are waiting for the second installment.

Besides, thousands of students across the province have been deprived of educational stipend (technical) for almost a year as the Sindh government has failed to release funds to the districts.

The educational stipend (technical) is a separate fund announced by the federal government for the persons who want to be a technical hand and earn money through small business.

The Nawabshah Ushr and Zakat Committee received Rs15 million as the fist installment and utilised 100 per cent by September but received nothing for educational stipends (technical) even after repeated reminders.

Haji Faiz Ahmed Siddiqui, chairman of the committee, said that they had utilised 100 per cent of the amount within prescribed time but still they had not received the second installment.

He said that he had approached the Federal Zakat and Ushr Council through the then District Nazim Faryal Talpur for the release of the installment and enhancement of annual share and they were told that funds would not be released as Sindh had failed to utilise 50 per cent amount of the first installment.

He said that they had not even received educational stipend (technical) MORA, which was a separate fund from regular Zakat fund.

He disclosed that Rs5.6 million of regular Zakat fund for Nawabshah district had also lapsed in 2006. The Sindh Ushr and Zakat Department was to blame for the non-release of second installment as it had failed to transfer the amount to districts in time, he said.

Matloob Hussain Awan, section officer at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ushr and Zakat, Islamabad, said that the utilisation reports received from Sindh government indicated that the government had used only 31 per cent (approximately) of the first instalment up to March 31, 2008 and in this case the release of second installment would be a clear violation of Central Zakat Committee’s approved policy.

He said that if the province failed to submit details of at least 50 per cent utilisation of the first installment, the second installment of about Rs144 million would get lapsed.

He said that he had been repeatedly reminding the secretary of Ushr and Zakat Sindh to submit report so that they could release the second installment but he received no response.

He informed that Islamabad had released Rs93.762 million on Feb 23, 2008, as the first installment after scrutiny of demand for Rs187 million but he had received report that the Sindh government had not yet transferred it to the districts.