• Says begging has become a ‘multi-million-rupee business’
• Article 140-A doesn’t explain to what extent political, financial, and administrative authority should be devolved to local govts, observes Ghani

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly was on Friday informed that the Sindh Child Protection Authority was working in close coordination with the provincial police to conduct anti-child beggary drive for rescuing children who were forced to be involved in this worst form of child labour.

Furnishing statement and replies of lawmakers’ written and verbal queries during Question Hour, Social Welfare Minister Tariq Ali Talpur said the organised beggary was a business of multi-million rupees and it was not easy to eradicate the menace, though the provincial government was “making all possible” efforts to contain that.

He said that child beggars were rescued and shifted to the Shelter Home for Destitute and Orphan Children, Malir, which had a capacity to accommodate 200 children.

He said that the beggar children were provided with support including basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, healthcare, legal support, counselling, recreational activities to promote physical and mental well-being.

With regards to victims of trafficking, the welfare minister said that the SCPA participated in meetings organised by the Anti-Human Smuggling Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency and submitted monthly report with requisite information.

“Furthermore, SPCA is working to identify and rescue under-18 victims of trafficking in coordination with law enforcement agencies and NGOs to ensure their protection,” he added.

Mr Talpur said that the management of the Shelter Home for Destitute and Orphans was providing comprehensive support to the rescued children, including informal education, to rehabilitate street children and child victims of trafficking to readjust them back into society.

Replying to a question, he said that as many as 30 child protection units had been established across the province to address the cases of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation against children.

Besides, he said, 14 Senior Citizen Centres were under construction in districts Central and Korangi of Karachi, Tharparkar, Sanghar, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Naushahro Feroze, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sujawal, Umarkot, Shikarpur and Dadu.

Responding to another question, the minister said that the number of people treated and presently under treatment for drug addiction at different rehabilitation centres from 2018 to 2023 was 33,185.

Guidelines for civic bodies

Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said that the provincial government would soon issue a set of guidelines to union committees and union councils in Sindh to identify potential areas where they could spend specified portions of their increased share of Octroi Zila tax (OZT) in uplift works.

Responding to a call attention notice given by Jamaat-i-Islami lone member Muhammad Farooq, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said that the monthly OZT share of an urban area union committee had been increased from Rs500,000 to Rs1.2 million while a rural union council would get Rs1m OZT share.

Mr Ghani said that the monthly OZT share being given to municipal agencies in Sindh had been increased by the provincial government to strengthen them financially and increase their financial capacity to disburse salaries and pensions to their employees on time.

The local government minister said that the UCs had been asked to limit the monthly salary bill of their employees to Rs400,000 so that funds could be spared to carry out small uplift works in their respective jurisdictions.

He said the municipal agencies would compile monthly reports on the spending of the OZT share to overcome their financial crisis.

Mr Ghani informed the lawmakers that Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, union councils, union committees, and other municipal agencies had been given political, administrative, and financial powers as per the spirit of Article 140-A of the Constitution.

He said that Article 140-A of the Constitution didn’t explain to what extent political, financial, and administrative authority should be devolved to the municipal agencies.

Responding to the call attention notice given by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan member Shariq Jamal, the local government minister said that the KMC had planned repair of roads and streets damaged in the recent rains and added that the patch work would begin from Sept 15.

Later, Speaker Syed Awais Shah adjourned the house to Monday.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024