Fixing Rs 950 wheat support price: Sindh chief minister defends government move

Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, on Thursday defended the government's stance for fixing Rs 950 for wheat support price, saying the move had encouraged the farmers to go for a greater yield, which ensured food security in the province and help it earn foreign exchange through the export of 0.4 million tons of the commodity.
Speaking at the Sindh Assembly's post-budget session, he said the province alone had exported 0.35 million tones of wheat last year. He said the province had achieved the wheat production target of 1.7 million tones with 1.4 million tones of its procurement.
He said the government's move had encouraged more and more farmers to go for cultivation of sugarcane, cotton and wheat, which according to him, were also posting robust growths. He said in the past the government had to import wheat for lack of local production, and, therefore, the President Zardari envisaged a greater plan for self-sufficiency in the wheat crops. He said now the province was able to export surplus wheat production and earn foreign exchange.
Qaim Ali Shah said the law and order in the province had improved as compared to the situation in the past government when the US consulate had more than two times came under bomb attacks, besides gunfire at Corps commander in Karachi. He said betterment in the law and order situation was also related to political reconciliation in the province and alone police could not control it. He said Sarfarz Shah's killing was an unfortunate incident and the accused Rangers personnel were under trial at the court of justice, but warned that for one such incident his government would not pack the law enforcing force up. He said police and Rangers had laid down their lives for the city and province peace and the sacrifices of slain security personnel one should not forget. He lauded the Rangers efforts in maintaining peace in the province and its help in difficult situation to the government.
He said during the last two months some 65 people were reported as abducted in different parts of Sindh province. In Hyderabad division, no abduction was reported in the same period, which he said was a better performance of the security officials. He said the law enforcers had arrested 24 abductors, 28 terrorists, 25 target killers and 280 dacoits in rural Sindh during the last 45 days. He said 23 outlaws were killed while the police had arrested 348 proclaimed offenders. Chief minister hoped the Thar coal project would soon show its significance and attract huge investment across the globe. He said Chinese were showing a greater interest in two blocks of the field. He said one block had needed about $2 billion investment to become functional.
He pointed out that Turkey would set up 200 homes in a proposed Benazir Basti in Shikarpur besides Iran and US would also develop residential plots for people in other parts of the province. The homeless people would be given Rs 50, 000 to help them rehabilitate, he said.
He said the government would collect Rs 25 billion from GST on service in the next fiscal year, whereas hoping the federal government would pay it about Rs 20 billion this fiscal year from the same collection. He said after 18th Constitutional Amendment, the Sindh had emerged the first province to take over the GST collection from the central government.
He asked the planning and development department to solve all problems, which had hindered the schemes' execution. The government wants to test the judiciary in the Bhutto case for justice, Qaim Ali Shah said, adding, "we take revenge democratically" and hoped the culprits would be brought to justice.
Earlier, opposition leader of PML-F, Jam Madad Ali Khan demanded of the government to implement the 1991 Water Accord and also supported the government decision to fix Rs 950 as wheat support price in the province.
He rejected the proposals for agriculture income tax, saying the farmers were already paying huge taxes besides facing difficulties in getting seed, fertilisers etc, which had become costlier. Sindh Finance Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah replied to the objection and concerns raised by opposition and treasury members during the last eight days of debate.
He also defended the government's move of fixing Rs 950 wheat support price, adding Indian legislators wanted to increase their wheat support price to Rs 1400 from Rs 1100. He said the government's move had safeguarded the province from food insecurity. He agreed on the proposal by Syed Sardar Ahmed to review the fiscal budget every three months to check the status of expenditure of uplift schemes, instead of doing so at the closure of financial year. He said Sindh had become the first province to take over the GST on services.