KARACHI, June 24: The Sindh government would ponder over adding more schemes to the list of those suggested by MPAs. Proposals would be invited from the legislators to include such schemes in the Annual Development Programme.

This was stated by provincial Finance Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed while replying, on behalf of the chief minister, to questions raised by MPAs during question hour in the Sindh Assembly on Thursday.

In reply to a question by Hafiz Mohammad Naeem about violation of the ban on recruitment, the minister said that an inquiry was in progress regarding any violation by the Fishermen Cooperative Society. He, however, insisted that no appointment was made in the department in violation of the ban.

Answering a question by Mohammad Ayaz Soomro, the minister said that unutilized budgetary allocations for development lapsed at the end of a financial year, i.e. June 30, in accordance with the existing rules.

Mr Assar Das Hemnani had asked a question about welfare schemes for minorities through MPAs' development funds. The finance minister informed the house that development schemes were generally undertaken for the welfare and benefit of general public residing in that particular area without any discrimination.

Under the MPAs' programme, the government had extended Rs5 million for special programme and a same amount for priority programme to every MPA. In reply to a question by Nawab Ali Wassan, the minister told the house that separate budget for day to day procurement of medicines was allocated by each district government to veterinary hospital/dispensary.

However, in order to meet emergencies or control outbreak of diseases, a sum of Rs5.3604 million was provided during the year 2002-03 to the animal husbandry department.

Regarding Avian influenza, the House was told that it had surfaced in the beginning of November 2003 affecting poultry estates in Gadap, and Korangi as well as along the National Highway.