Five more ministries devolution process put off till March 22

The Implementation Commission on the 18th Amendment has delayed the devolution of five more ministries to the provinces till March 22, 2011. The Commission had set mid-March deadline to transfer five more ministries to the provinces but it could not finalise the schedule due to some complications pertaining to other departments of the ministries.
The Implementation Commission met with Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Co-ordination Mian Raza Rabbani in chair on Tuesday. The chief secretaries of all the four provinces attended the meeting. In the previous meeting, the Commission had set March 15 deadline for transfer of five more ministries ie education, tourism, social welfare and special education, livestock & dairy development and culture but it delayed the process till March 22.
Reliable sources told Business Recorder that the Commission could not finalise the process to transfer the ministries. They said that on one hand some ministries want to merge some of their departments to federal institutions, but Rabbani has committed complete transfer as mentioned in the 18th Amendment of the Constitution.
The sources said that in the Tuesday's meeting, the officials of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) told the Implementation Commission that NCHD was an independent institution and should not be transferred to provinces. The sources said next meeting of the Commission would be held on March 21 to further discuss the devolution process of these five ministries.
After Tuesday's meeting, Rabbani told media: "We are determined to complete the process of devolution and in this regard, we have completed all talks with the provinces." "All things which have been settled with consensus in the 18th Amendment and passed by both the Houses of the Parliament unanimously would be transferred to provinces. For this purpose, the Parliament and provinces will protect it at any cost," he said.
To a question, whether some departments would be merged in the federal institutions, Rabbani categorically said all the ministries and departments in the Concurrent List which have been mentioned in the 18th Amendment must be transferred to provinces.
He said in the Tuesday's meeting, the Commission discussed not only five ministries but also another specified item with regard to the ministries of law and justice, interior, finance, ports and shipping, communication, finance and the Revenue Division.
Under the 18th Amendment, the Concurrent List has been abolished but some of its items have been placed in Federal Legislative List-II and the Council of Common Interests (CCI) would decide about them. About sales tax on services, Rabbani said there are differences on the collection of sales tax on services and the finance ministry was addressing the issue.