KARACHI: Target and efforts of the federal government are aimed at addressing reservations of the provinces and making them fully empowered by devolving departments in accordance to the true spirit of the 18 amendment of the constitution.

This was stated by Senate Functional Committee (SFC) on Devolution chairman Senator Mir Kabeer Ahmed Muhammad Shahi while talking to reporters after presiding over an SFC meeting here on Wednesday at the Sindh Secretariat.

He recalled that under the 18th amendment, 17 ministeries were devolved to the provinces, but a number of them were not fully devolved that was why the provinces had reservations about it.

He said that under the constitutional amendment, the powers had to be devolved to the district and union councils level. He said that after the Senate, the Council of Common Interests’s role was also important in this regard, but unfortunately the CCI meetings were not being held regularly.

Earlier, Sindh Chief Sec­retary Mohammed Siddique Memon briefed the meeting about the devolution programme under the 18th amendment in the constitution and highlighted the issue of transfers of assets and funds and institutions in the backdrop of the departments of Auqaf, Zakat, Ushr, health, livestock and fisheries, sports and youth affairs, population welfare and law.

He also pointed out the letters written to the federal government regarding convening the CCI meetings and issues related to rehabilitation of the government employees transferred to the Sindh government under the devolved scheme.

Evacue Trust Properties Board (ETPB) Secretary Mian Abdul Qadeer informed the meeting about the available ETPB properties.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2016