Provincial govt concerned over reduction in allocations for merged areas in federal budget
peshawar - An important meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held under the chair of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Tuesday expressed serious concerns on the reduction in allocations for the merged tribal districts in the budget of new financial year by the federal government.
The meeting regarding key issues of the provincial government related to the federal government also showed serious reservations on the federal government’s indication to hand over the Sehat Card scheme of merged tribal districts without transferring the required budget to the provincial government. It discussed in detail various options to be exercised to get due share of the province including the merged tribal districts. Important decisions were also taken to this effect.
Provincial cabinet members, Taimur Jhagra, Shaukat Yousafzai, Fazal Shakoor Khan, Chief Secretary Shehzad Bangash, Inspector General Police Muazzam Jah Ansari, Principal Secretary to CM, Advocate General Shumail Butt and concerned administrative secretaries attended the meeting.
The meeting while expressing resolve of the provincial government to exercise all available options to get due rights of the province, decided to get a resolution passed unanimously from the provincial assembly, and to hold Jirga with the federal government on the issue; and to communicate in writing the concerns of the provincial government to the centre at various level.
The meeting also decided to highlight the injustice being done to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the centre on media; and to exercise all political, constitutional and legal options to get the due rights of the province.
Matters related to NFC Award, arrears of net hydel profit and other issues related to the centre also came under discussion. It was pointed out in the meeting that after the merger of ex-FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the population as well as area of the province has increased considerably but the existing NFC award does not cater for the, share of the province accordingly.
It was decided in the meeting to take up the matter of new NFC Award with the federal government; and to write to the centre for convening a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) immediately to raise the issue of net hydel profit arrears.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the federal government has reduced the development funds of the merged districts, and indicated to hand over the Sehat Card scheme of merged districts without shifting the required financial allocations which is a sheer injustice to the people of the merged districts.
He claimed that the government at the centre was also trying to exclude the mega development projects of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the federal PSDP which were included in PSDP during the previous government. He made it clear that the provincial government will exercise all available options and go to all extent to get due rights of the province.