KARACHI - Sindh Zakat and Ushr committees are in a state of paralysis because of the reasons best known to the government and as a result millions of poor and destitute have not been disbursed any amount during the last six months. About 100,000 deserving people of the province, who depend on Zakat funds, may not get the amount before Eid because Sindh government's failure to utilise at least 50 per cent of the first instalment, without which the second instalment for the current year would not be released. According to Zakat and Ushr Ordinance 1980, Zakat funds are released to the provinces in two half-yearly instalments on condition that the second instalment will be released only after utilisation of at least 50 per cent of the first one. With Ramadan only 12 days away, there are 33,000 needy, widows and orphans in the prosperous metropolis alone and are waiting for Zakat and there is no hope or possibility that the recipients would get the meagre Zakat amount. As per rules, each Zakat recipient gets around Rs 3,000/- every six months at the rate of Rs500 per month. The amount is too small even for the poor to make both ends meet. The other benefits like dowry fund, sickness fund, rehabilitation funds and students' stipend fund which these recipients received has been put on hold after the tenure of the last Sindh zakat committees that expired last March. Though it was expected that the nomination for these committees was to be made immediately after the old committees completed their tenure but due to unknown administrative reasons the committees have not been formed and as a result the recipients have not been given the amount for the last half year. The sickness fund was more important for the poor, old and destitute. Similarly, the rehabilitation and dowry funds and the students' stipends have not been distributed causing difficulties for deserved people. Raees, a vendor in Sadr, who got treatment at JPMC through Zakat fund, said that he was facing severe difficulties due to an unspecified illness because he had not been given disease allowance despite the fact that he is a registered recipient of zakat. The Zakat committee in his area has ceased to exist about half a year ago. Mahjabeen, a blind widow, said that she was running form pillar to post to get rehabilitation zakat fund. It may be mentioned here that the tenure of Zakat and Ushr Committees was expired last August but the previous government had extended six months that ended in March 200g. The present PPP led coalition in Sindh has no time to pay any attention to revive and reappoint zakat committees though there is a separate ministry, which looks after the disbursement of zakat. There is no priority for the government, which is stuck in lesser political issues such as administration and revenue collection. The Sindh Assembly has met a number of times and has even discussed the financial bill in which it allotted funds to the zakat and Ushr committees but no member from the PPP or its coalition partner MQM and ANP has even thought about the poor and the needy of the zakat funds. Not only the zakat committees is suffering from the paralysis but even the provincial administration some extent is also paralyze. Sajid Jokhio has the portfolio of Zakat but even Mr. Jokhio is too involved in other unimportant activities than thinking about the poor and destitute.