AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan: Senate body briefed about development projects

ISLAMABAD: Senate Functional Committee on Devolution was briefed on the development projects of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

The Committee met with Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur in the chair at the Parliament house on Thursday.

The committee was given a detailed briefing by ministries of Kashmir affairs and Gilgit, Narcotics Control and National Heritage and culture. The ministries gave a detailed progress and output of last two financial years along with budget details, attached departments and number of employees.

The Committee Chairperson said that the ministries should prepare a comprehensive plan with specific targets to improve their efficiency and to enhance service delivery.

Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan informed the committee that the territories of AJK and GB are designated as special areas and they cannot be defined as provinces in terms of Article 1(2) of the Constitution of Pakistan.

About the budget of the ministry, it was also informed that budget for the year 2022-23 was Rs678.635 million and for the year 2023-24 Rs832.426 million have been allocated.

The chairperson and other members of the committee observed that both the regions have a huge importance for the country and there is a dire need to introduce more development projects for the welfare of the people of the regions.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Narcotics Control also briefed the Committee about development projects.

The committee members emphasised for coordinated efforts to overcome the challenge about the drug addiction of youth.

The committee was informed that universities and colleges are being targeted for awareness and international coordinated operations are being conducted to cut the supply. It was informed that seven model addiction treatment centres have been established and more are being planned in different cities of the country.

During the briefing of the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, the chairperson of the committee observed that propagation and promotion of national heritage and culture is of utmost importance to enable the youth to know about the rich cultural history.

The committee members said that the ministry should take steps to effectively preserve and promote our cultural heritage. It also proposed to enhance the entry fee for foreigners from 1,000 rupees to 5,000 rupees at Lok Virsa as it will help generate huge funds for the institution of Lok Virsa.

The committee also decided to carry out visits to different facilities at provincial and federal levels to see what recommendations the committee can make to further improve the performance of those historic institutions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024