Uplift projects: NA panel approves Rs 1.93 billion budgetary proposals

26 Feb, 2020

The committee met with Syed Aminul Haque in the chair at the Parliament Lodges Tuesday. The committee discussed budgetary proposals relating to PSDP 2020-21, corrupt practices of private testing agencies hired by the government, and issues regarding Pakistan Baitul Mal.

The committee after thorough discussion approved budgetary proposals of Rs 1.45 billion for development projects of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, and Rs 48.4 million for the projects of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) for the year 2020-2021.

The members of the committee said that public representatives and the concerned authority should be consulted on the development projects of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division which were related to rural and less developed areas.

The committee, while discussing a matter referred by the assembly to the committee regarding leakage of papers of tests conducted by the National Testing Service (NTS) in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, observed that the testing agency in question besides other testing agencies lacked capacity and were subjected to mismanagement.

The committee therefore, observed that a thorough discussion was imperative to streamline their working and strengthen regulatory mechanism.

The committee chairperson, Syed Aminul Haque, also constituted a sub-committee with Rana Iradat Sharif Khan as its convener and Muhammad Hashim, Raza Rabani Khar and Mohsin Dawar as members.

The committee has been mandated the task to discuss and suggest amendments in law, rules and regulation to ensure transparency in affairs of the testing services.

The committee has also been asked to seek assistance of the FIA, the PPRA, the SECP and other departments, if required in order to complete the task assigned.

The committee, while discussing the Recovery of Mortgage-backed Security Bill, 2019, asked the State Bank to provide details of the pending cases with banking courts regarding mortgage financing.

The committee observed that protection of rights of the lending institution and the borrower needed to be protected.

The committee decided to take up the bill on receipt of information from the State Bank.

The committee, while discussing the status of compliance of recommendation of the standing committee regarding Pakistan Baitul Mal asked for allocation of funds to the destitute especially in Balochistan, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The committee appreciated the assistance programme of Baitul Mal to the deserving students, patients and the physically challenged.

The meeting was attended by Ali Muhammad Khan, minister of state for parliamentary affairs, MNAs; Saleem Rehman, Muhammad Aslam Khan, Uzma Riaz, Muhammad Hashim, Rasheed Ahmad Khan, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, Raza Rabani Khar, Syed Mehmood Shah, Mohsin Dawar, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, secretary, Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, managing director Pakistan Baitul Mal, and other officers of the concerned departments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

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