KARACHI: Sindh Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah claimed it was a typographical error when it was pointed out in the Sindh Assembly that the number of posts created in a year jumped four times while the fund allocated for them was slightly reduced.

The minister was responding to questions pertaining to the finance department during the question hour in the Tuesday session which was chaired by Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement legislator Sumeta Syed asked about the discrepancy in the data relating to the number of posts and the fund allocated for them in the financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13. She said the data provided by the minister showed that Rs1,959.753 million had been allocated for the 3,897 posts created in the year 2011-12, while the posts created next year (2012-13) jumped to 20,184 the fund allocated for them reduced to Rs1,959.741 million.

After going through the data quickly, the minister said it was a typographical mistake.

MQM legislator Mohammad Hussain sought details of the departments in which the posts had been created and asked how much of the fund had been utilized. The minister said the relevant information was provided in the budget books. However, Speaker Durrani said it was an irrelevant supplementary question as the posts had been created in different departments and lawmakers could submit fresh questions to get that information.

In reply to a question by MQM legislator Heer Soho about agricultural loans provided by Sindh Bank to small growers through Benazir Card, the minister said that 903 customers had been given loans under Benazir Zarai Card Scheme and credit approved to them was Rs167 million. Of this amount, he added, Rs162 million was outstanding.

Regarding disbursement of Benazir Income Support Programme fund among beneficiaries through Sindh Bank, the minister said that the bank had been serving over 37,000 BISP beneficiaries since April 2012 and had disbursed over Rs1.2 billion till Dec 31, 2014.

MQM legislator Sardar Ahmed wanted to know why balance sheet of the Sindh Bank, which was owned by the Sindh government, was not presented in the assembly. The minister said that balance sheets and accounts of many other organizations under the Sindh government were not presented in the assembly, but he would soon present balance sheet of the bank for the past three years.

Responding to a question by MQM legislator Sabir Kaimkhani regarding funds for industries, the minister said that initially the Sindh Enterprise Development Fund provided funding for agribusiness, including dairy and livestock, poultry and fisheries, but for the past couple of years fund was also being provided to small industries dealing in rice husking for the installation of modern machinery so that not only their capacity increased but product quality also improved. He said that Rs2 billion had been allocated last year and another Rs2 billion had been allocated this year also.

In response to a question asked by Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) legislator Nusrat Abbasi regarding funds received from the federal government, the minister said that the share of Sindh in the divisible pool of taxes provided by the federal government under the national finance commission award between 2009-14 was over Rs1.23 trillion.

MQM lawmaker Sumeta Syed sought details of recruitment done in grades higher than BPS 16 in the finance department. The minister said only officials in grades up to BPS 14 had been recruited in the department for which quota system had been followed. Some recruitments on a contract basis in higher grades had also been done and a list of that would be presented in the assembly, he added.

In reply to her question about promotions, the minister said promotion was not done on a quota basis rather it was based on various factors including merit and seniority.

Referring to a statement made by agriculture minister Ali Nawaz Mahar on the sugar cane issue earlier, Pakistan Muslim League (F) legislator Mahtab Rashdi said double standard of Speaker Durrani was exposed as when the opposition wanted to discuss the sugarcane price issue the speaker did not allow them citing that the matter was sub-judice but the minister was allowed to make a statement on the issue.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2015

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