PEC stresses cut in lavish expenses in NWFP

The NWFP Senior Minister Siraj-ul-Haq on Thursday stressed the need for slashing non developmental expenditures of provincial and district governments on realistic grounds as well as promoting economy, simplicity and austerity at all governmental levels, and asked the authorities to come up with solid, viable recommendations in that respect which on implementation could yield direct and indirect benefits to the common man. He was addressing the 1st meeting of Provincial Economy Commission (PEC) at Civil Secretariat Peshawar on Thursday.
The commission has been formed three months back with the task to cut unnecessary expenditures in various departments and sectors in provincial government, and improving its institutional performance.
The meeting was attended by the PEC Vice Chairman Faizullah Khattak, Secretary Administration Colonel Ghulam Hussain (Retd), Secretary Establishment Arbab Shahrukh, Secretary Local Government & Rural Development Baz Muhammad Khattak, Additional Secretary P&D Ikramullah Jan, Director Financial Management Information Unit (FMIU) Saif-ur-Rehman Usmani, and other concerned authorities wherein agenda for economy drive in the province was discussed threadbare.
Siraj-ul-Haq directed for showing no leniency in the earlier steps of provincial government for economy and austerity drive while asked for taking more effective steps in this regard.
He made it clear that cut in expenditures or austerity did not mean any down sizing in government departments and staff or machinery but the aim was to improve performance with vivid results on ground with increasing staff and equipment in order to let the poor masses also heave a sign of relief about their socio-economic uplift
The Senior Minister regretted most of the vacancies and expenditures in the new local government system were made only on the basis of idealism ignoring the ground realities of concerned districts and sectors that needed rectification with objectivity and result oriented purpose. He directed for bringing all expenditures in conformity with the new performance based budget policy of the provincial government.
He expressed confidence that PEC would through its importance keeping the limited financial resources of the province, and the unlimited problems and challenges faced by the province like establishment of WAPDA Cell that has saved millions of rupees in respect of excessive billing. However, the Senior Minister did not agree with the proposal of appointing heavy staff for the commission and asked for evolving its structure and terms of reference first.
He in this respect asked for summoning high level meeting in next couple of weeks, and asked the concerned administrative secretaries and authorities to put forth concrete proposals and recommendations for austerity in that respect.