District and provincial levels: PM for equitable revenue distribution

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday stressing the need for a Provincial Financial Award said transparent and equitable distribution of revenue was essential to ensure uniform level of development in the provinces. Chairing a high-level meeting on the development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly the merged areas, and Punjab, he said equitable distribution of financial resources at district and provincial levels was one of the top priorities of the government.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Omar Ayub Khan, Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra and other senior officials.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht and the chief secretary also attended the meeting through video-link.

The meeting discussed in detail the development needs of the merged areas and also Punjab on the matter related to Provincial Financial Awards.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said the federal government was committed to an unhindered development of the merged areas and expressed commitment to provide all necessary financial resources.

He regretted that previous governments made injudicious distribution of resources among the areas on the basis of political affiliation, resulting in sense of deprivation among the people. He urged upon the provincial governments to pay special attention to empowering districts and local governments in terms of revenue so as to divert the resources towards development.

The prime minister directed the provincial governments to consider out-of-the-box solutions to increase revenue at the provincial level.

In that regard, he said, special attention should be paid on generating financial resources by utilizing public property to minimize the financial impact of the coronavirus situation.

The meeting also discussed the net hydel profits payable to Punjab and the KP, for which a working group had been constituted to sort out the issue amicably. The prime minister appreciated the efforts of planning ministry on the matters relating to Provincial Financial Awards and net hydel profits.