In-service deaths: Prime Minister's Package for families of late government employees held in abeyance

Senate Standing Committee on Finance was informed that Prime Minister's Package for families of Shuhada (government employees who died during service) has been held in abeyance due to its financial implications. An official of Established Division informed the Committee chaired by Saleem Mandviwala on Wednesday that the Prime Minister had ordered that till report of the Committee is finalised the death benefits for the families of government employees, who died in service would be held in abeyance.
A committee has been constituted to re-examine the package on the request of Finance Division due to its financial implications on the budget. The meeting was informed that to provide added social security protection to the families of government servants who died in service, Federal government introduced Prime Minister's Package in 2006. The said Package was amended from time to time covering various items of incentives under the Package. Latest amendments/revision in the Package was made in October 2014.
However, subsequently the Prime Minister constituted a committee consisting of Secretaries of Finance, Establishment, Industries and Production and Railways Divisions to re-examine the policy for the death benefits, keeping in view the financial implications for Ministries / Divisions, attached departments and autonomous bodies.
The official of Establishment stated that provision of death benefits has not been stopped as the Prime Minister has been pleased to direct that the pending cases of Assistance Package be processed in the light of instructions issued dated 13th June, 2006 till the decision of the Review Committee. The committee may look into the pre-qualification process of Heavy Electric Complex (HEC) after cancellation of the transaction to ascertain whether proper due diligence was done by the Privatisation Commission or not.
Chairman of Senate Standing Committee Saleem Maandviwala said to have consulted the members of the committee we may ask Privatisation Commission to submit record of the pre-qualification process to the committee. Senator Kamil Ali Agha said that pr-qualification must be transparent and crystal clear and must be looked into as this appears to be a grey area in the tenure of the present government.
Chairman privatisation Commission Muhammad Zubair acknowledged that the transaction of HEC had been dropped subsequent to failure by the qualified bidder to make payment and cheques given by the company was bounced. In reply to a question that there must have been some lapses on the part of the Privatisation Commission during due diligence, he said that best possible judgement was exercised but the company had proved the commission wrong. He added that the government must have very logical and solid reason to restrain the company. "We did not have any solid reasons", he said. "If the company is not making payment we will not entertain" chairman PC added.
The members of the committee proposed that the Senate Standing Committee on Finance must be taken into confidence before privatisation and not after privatisation and privatisation of power sector must be taken care of because it is directly linked to the population of the entire country. The committee has also taken up number of petitions of individuals in which they have drawn the attention of Chairman Senate towards different issues faced by public sector.