KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the Sindh government is facing a shortfall of Rs144 billion in the federal revenue transfers, therefore, badly affecting the development projects initiated by the provincial government all over the province.
He was presiding over three different meetings held here at the CM House on Saturday to review the ongoing development portfolios of Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan and Tando Allahyar districts.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, provincial ministers Nisar Khuhro, Syed Nasir Shah, Shabbir Bijarani, Saeed Ghani, P&D M Chairman Waseem, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, Secretary LG Roshan Shaikh, Secretary Irrigation Saeed Mangnijo, Secretary Works Imran Soomro, Secretary Colleges Rafiq Buriro, Secretary School Education Khalid Hyder Shah, Commissioner and DIG Hyderabad division, MNAs, MPAs and other elected representatives of the concerned districts.
The chief minister said that Sindh had received Rs378.3 billion from the Centre so far against its share of Rs522.1 billion, which showed a shortfall of Rs143.8 billion.
He, however, added that even then, his government was committed to completing the ongoing development schemes in the province while news schemes would be launched in the next financial year.
Matiari:
Murad was told that in Matiari district, 48 schemes of Rs1.6 billion were in progress. The finance department has released Rs929.6 million for the purpose; meaning thereby 58 percent of the total allocation and the utilization is Rs593.5 million, which is 64 percent of the total release.
When the CM was told there were 13 schemes of Rs166.5 million against which 96 percent of the funds had been released, he directed the concerned department to complete these by the end of current financial year.
The Auqaf department has started three schemes of Rs23.7 million in the district, while five schemes of school education of Rs312.1 million, three schemes of college education of Rs17 million, one scheme of health department of Rs40 million, five schemes of irrigation of worth Rs237.8 million, one scheme of lining of main canals of Rs134.1 million.
Murad was informed that local government had two schemes of Rs84.4 million, and both were related to the construction of roads, one scheme for minorities of Rs2 million, seven schemes of Rs184.1 million for PHE, one scheme of rural development worth Rs10 million, one scheme of sports to cost Rs20.7 million while works & service departments had 12 schemes of worth Rs290 million.
Tando Muhammad Khan:
The CM was informed that Tando Mohammad Khan district had 45 schemes of Rs1.1 billion against which the government had released Rs677.4 million, which constituted 59 percent of the allocation while the utilization was Rs441.2 million which was 65 percent of the total release.
He was told 13 schemes of worth Rs134.4 million would be completed in the district by the end of June 2020, while seven others of Rs209.1 million would be completed within next three months.
It was disclosed that the school education dept had launched eight schemes, while Home two, irrigation four, local government 11, PHE six and works department eight.
Tando Allahyar:
Regarding Tando Allahyar, Sindh chief minister was told that work on 42 schemes of worth Rs1.7 billion was in progress in the district, against which the government had released Rs1.2 billion; meaning thereby 71 percent of the total allocation while the utilization was Rs1.02 billion which stood at 84 percent of the total release.
It was disclosed at the meeting that five ongoing district-specific schemes of Rs271.2 million would be completed by the end of 2019-20.
The chief minister directed the concerned departments to complete 12 schemes of worth Rs119.1 million for which the government had released funds, which made up 91 percent of the allocated amount.
In Tando Allah Yar, Murad was told, there were six schemes of the school education, five of local government, seven of PHE while 15 schemes of works and services.