LAHORE: Many departments enlisted to operate in the proposed South Punjab Civil Secretariat have not as yet submitted their estimates of expenditure despite the fact that just nine days are left for reflecting them in the next budget, making it difficult for the authorities concerned to ensure its functioning from July 1.

“The departments were reminded the need to submit their SNEs (Schedule for New Expenditure) on April 10. The deadline mentioned has already been expired. The SNEs can be included in the provincial budget at the most by April 30. And if they are not submitted by then, it would be difficult to run the South Punjab Secretariat by July 1,” said a senior official of the Services and General Administration Department which had sent the reminder.

According to this letter, budget calendar as detailed in the Budget Call Circular, financial year 2019-20 reflects that deadline for submission of proposals of SNEs is 30th November whereas, inter-departmental consultations with the administrative secretaries to discuss and finalize budget proposals is April 30. The deadline for submission of SNEs has already been lapsed. The SNEs for the additional chief secretary, south Punjab, have been sent to the finance department.

The letter requests the departments to submit their SNEs to the finance department through services and general administration department within a period of one week so that the same might be finalized for making Punjab Civil Secretariat (South) functional from July 1

SNEs mean financial estimates for the human resource (officials) and operational expenses of these departments included in the proposed South Punjab Secretariat.

Insiders claimed that after initially warm response a majority departments appeared to have lost interest in the idea.

They had sent lists of the required number of their officials according to the design of staff designed by the authorities concerned, putting initially the number to 150. The number of officials went up to 386 afterwards due to the inclusion of ministerial and support staff

According to the plan, if established the secretariat would function under an additional chief secretary. Each department would be represented by a special secretary, having a team of two additional secretaries, four deputy secretaries and four section officers. Every team would have supporting staff.

The departments that would function there include planning and development, health, education, irrigation, communication and works, finance, local government, housing, women development, energy and agriculture.

The PTI government had in its very beginning created an Executive Council on Creation of South Punjab province.

But as it was realized afterwards that creating a new province required amending the constitution and a consent of the Punjab Assembly with two-third majority in the parliament and in the provincial assembly, the PTI government floated the idea of establishing a South Punjab Secretariat in the first instance.

Later this council formed several committees to decide various aspects of the secretariat. And insiders said that it had not as yet been able to decide which South Punjab district would house the secretariat.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2019