|
Poor performance marr KP government
June 15, 2012
The white paper issued by the Finance Ministry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has disclosed contradictions about the high claims of performance and the bad efficiency of different government departments, particularly Planning and Development. It is worth mentioning that during 2011-12 financial year for different foreign projects assistance programs, donors had pledged 16 billion and 11 crore rupees, but the government could manage only 8 billion rupees out of it, which shows that what does the P&D department do to deliver goods to masses.
On the other hand, 5 billion deficient in the estimates also exposes the inefficiency of the departments concerned while in the revived estimates for 2011 the next profit in hydle power sector instead of 6 billion rupees only 2 billion rupees has so far been received and the government claims that the remaining 4 billion rupee will be just coming to it in the next 20 or so days which will certainly be a miracle as compared with getting only 2 billion rupees during the last 4 years. It is also strange that as claimed by the government the total net profit in the hydle power sector, which is Rs25 billion, will be received in the next two years but in completion of the receipt how such a big gap in the budget will be filled up.
The present provincial government’s performance is so poor that last year the total volume of debt was Rs123 billion, 11 crore and 37 lac which according to the budget figures will reach Rs 130 billion and 53 crore on the very first day of the next financial year which will include Rs121 billion, 36 cror and 24 lac as foreign loan while the federal government portion will be Rs9 billion, 16 crore and 18 lac. As for as the payments of interest on the loans, Rs 3 billion, 69 crore and 99 lac will be spent to give mark up on the foreign loans. Though as a whole the total payment during the financial year will be Rs7 billion, 93 cror and 90 lac, as the State bank has decided to keep the mark up policy rate at 12% due to financial constraints the government will instead be forced to pay Rs9 billion, 56 crore and 30 lac. The provincial government has also taken a loan of Rs7 billion and 20 crore to keep the Bank of Khyber stable. All these figures show that the provincial government has to pay Rs5 billion and 17 crore mark up on internal loans and Rs4 billion and 38 crore for foreign and other loans.
Interestingly, the government has also reduced the volume of ADP and a cut off Rs67 crore has been put in this sector while only 103 development projects out of 296 projects could be completed by the provincial government doing 2011-12 financial year. The growth rate is also declining day by day and has almost plunged to the bottom. On the other hand, it is very appreciable that Rs12 billion has been allocated for the education sector to set up hundred new primary and model schools and 245 IT centers but unluckily no arrangements have been proposed to bring the quality of education on a par with the neighboring countries because there is no proper check and balance resulting in the failure of thousands of students in the SSC, Inter, degree and other level exams.
Literacy rate in our country is also very poor as compared to other nations. Even the literacy rates of our ex-western wings, now called Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other SARC countries, are much higher than Pakistan’s. Critics believe the government remained interested only in those projects in which it was easy for the ministers, MPs and the government’s blue-eyed people to swell their accounts that is why the foreign donors were not seriously asked to pay the unpaid 8 billion and also no one took interest in the projects already proposed in the budget of the previous financial year.
Meanwhile, differences are on the rise in the youth organization of PPP-KPK and different factions are playing blame game against one another, particularly the deputy general secretary of Peoples Youth Organization KPK and the chairman workers union are strongly opposing the Provincial President Gohar Inqilaby and General Secretary Misbahuddin. Last week, they jointly staged a protest against the provincial president and provincial general secretary accusing them of corruption and selling posts in different government departments. The protestors gathered near the Cantonment Railway Station and chanted slogans in favor of their demands. The procession was led by Deputy General Secretary Sajid Ali and the chairman of the workers union for their rights Shaukat Momand belonging to Town-4, Peshawar which is the native area of Misbahuddin.
The speakers complained that the provincial president was continuously ignoring the basic workers which had destroyed the organization’s image in the eye of youth. They also strongly opposed the provincial general secretary and accused him of accepting bribes for providing jobs and selling arms licenses and Benazir income support cards. The speakers also told the protestors that the president and general secretary had earned million of rupees by selling votes in the 2008 general election. Shaukat Momand claimed that there were clear proofs with him to testify his claims.
The speakers were of the view that due to their irregularities, misconduct and bad behavior the old and sincere party workers had no choice but to leave the party. He further said that if the party high-ups did not take stern action against them it will create further restlessness among the basic party workers, particularly the PYO members. They also appealed to President Asif Zardari, Premier Yousaf Raza and PPP provincial president Sardar Ali Khan to take necessary action against both the leaders and oust them from the party otherwise the present wave of protest will not only continue, but will also intensify. When the Peshawar PPP secretary information was contacted he admitted that grudges existed between the PYO leadership and workers on a number of matters, particularly on providing jobs in the government departments, favoritism in Benazir income support program and issuing arms licenses etc.
|